Wellington businesses located
within 300 feet of homes can
now open an hour earlier and
stay open an hour later after
members of the Wellington Village Council gave final OK Tuesday to new rules governing
hours of operation. But council
members debated for more
than an hour over some lastminute changes. Page 3

WHS Dance Helps
Fight Breast Cancer

ThinkPINKkids held its Dance
Night for the Fight on Friday, May
10 at Wellington High School.
The student-run organization
hosted a community dance to
celebrate those who are fighting breast cancer and to bring
awareness to the cause.
Page 5

County To Consider
IG Funding Next Week

Palm Beach County Inspector
General Sheryl Steckler, guest
speaker at the monthly community forum hosted by County
Commissioner Jess Santamaria, said Wednesday that she
faces another challenge next
week when the Palm Beach
County Commission considers
financing and support options
for her office. Page 7

RPB Honors Moms
With Special Concert

The Royal Palm Beach Community Concert Band played a Mother’s Day concert Sunday, May 12
at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Page 9

OPINION
Hats Off To The
Class Of 2013!

Area seniors will celebrate the
end of their high school careers
next week. As we do every year,
the Town-Crier offers some practical advice to those preparing
to take the next step in their
lives, wherever that may be.
Page 4

Wellington Art Society held its annual scholarship presentation on Wednesday, May 8 at the
Wellington Community Center. Five local art students each received $1,000 to further their art
studies at the college level. Each of the scholarship winners brought artwork to show. Here is
honoree Marisa Waddle with her work. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9
PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

ITID Budget Earmarks More
Money For Drainage Work
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
The Indian Trail Improvement
District Board of Supervisors held
a public hearing Monday on its
draft budget for fiscal year 201314 budget. The budget emphasized
holding the line on assessments
while still making major drainage
improvements.
Key goals of the draft budget
were a comprehensive drainage
plan, in-house canal improvements, telemetry to continue the
automation of manually operated
water control structures, in-house
mowing and a road improvement
schedule, Director of Finance Katrina Myers-Arnold said.

ments. The department got $1.7
million in FEMA reimbursements
from Tropical Storm Isaac.
The parks draft budget is down
3 percent from the previous year,
from $1.08 million in 2013 to $1.05
million in 2014, with $69,500 in renovations planned at Hoefl Park,
the district’s oldest park, to include
installation of permanent restroom
facilities and new playground
equipment, according to Parks Director Tim Wojnar.
Wojnar said ITID staff is waiting for a board decision on which
way to go on the Acreage Community Park expansion, which was
budgeted in 2012 but put on hold
See ITID BUDGET, page 4

County Explores New Outlets
In Planning For Storm Season
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
Palm Beach County’s Department of Public Safety and the
American Red Cross gave a joint
presentation Tuesday to the Palm
Beach County Commission focused on preparations for the 2013
hurricane season. Among the
highlights was a new, interactive
social media project.
Assistant County Administrator Vince Bonvento said experts
predict an above-average hurri-

A majority of the budget is allocated to maintenance of the district’s 389 miles of unpaved roads
and 70 miles of paved roads.
The overall proposed budget is
up from $9.6 million this year to
$10.8 million next year, due largely
to an increased focus on drainage.
The average assessment increase
for all active units is 1.48 percent,
with the average assessment being $426 a year.
For 2013, the administrative
draft budget would increase by 2
percent from $1.65 million to $1.66
million. Myers-Arnold pointed out
that the department has three
years of unqualified audit opinions with no management com-

The new Palm Beach
County DART app as it
appears on an iPhone.

cane season, with 18 named
storms, nine hurricanes and four
intense hurricanes.
“What we’d like to do today is
talk about some of the new programs that have been developed,”
Bonvento said. “One of the things
we’re excited about is our new web
site redesign that’s available to all
our citizens and businesses. We
also have a new social media room
where we monitor Facebook and
Twitter so we can get the information out to the people, and most
importantly, we can find out what’s
happening in the community.”
The Department of Public Safety also has new hurricane guides
and evacuation and shelter maps.
It can also identify the locations
of all the gas stations and grocery
stores with generators. The digital information and social media
support center can give real-time
information, such as shelters that
are open or closed, or roads that
are closed.
“We’re really proud of our new
DART, disaster and recovery information tool,” Bonvento said.
“This application is going to allow us to provide information over
mobile phones.”
Bonvento said it will be a great
evacuation tool, allowing the Emergency Operations Center to identify shelters and give directions to

those shelters, and also tell what
hardware stores, grocery stores or
gas stations are open with generators.
“Most importantly, people all
have mobile phones, and they’re
all taking pictures, and they can
send those pictures in, which will
allow the community to send information to us that we can use in
delegating our resources,” he said.
Bill Johnson, director of emergency management, said 58 percent of the population now has a
smartphone that can access the
site. The new mobile phone application currently has two phases,
before the emergency and after the
emergency.
Users will be able to use built-in
GPS or type their address in for
full interface with the site, which
will tell the user what evacuation
zone they are in, whether they are
in an emergency and where they
are in relation to their nearest shelter, as well as driving directions.
There are also elements on how
to make a plan, build a survival kit,
be informed and be involved.
The after-emergency portion of
the application works similarly but
includes real-time information on
gas stations, hardware stores and
grocery stores that are open, with
directions how to get there. “In the
See HURRICANES, page 18

Serving Palms West Since 1980

Wellington Tennis
Center Moving To
Village Walk Site
By Lauren Miró
Town-Crier Staff Report
The Wellington Tennis Center
is getting a new home outside the
Village Walk community on Lyons
Road.
The controversial decision divided members of the Wellington
Village Council 3-2, with Vice Mayor Howard Coates and Councilwoman Anne Gerwig opposed.
The Wellington Tennis Center
has been located adjacent to the
Wellington Community Center
since the village purchased the
property in the late 1990s. But concerns about parking, along with a
planned expansion for the community center, prompted a council
decision in January to look for a
new tennis home.
Council members and village
staff considered several sites for a
new tennis center, including the
former Wellington Boys & Girls
Club property on South Shore
Blvd., the K-Park property on State
Road 7, village-owned land behind
the Hampton Inn near the Mall at
Wellington Green and the Village
Walk site on Lyons Road.
Councilman Matt Willhite said
that his goal was to move tennis

“while having the least impact on
the most residents.”
Councilman John Greene asked
how long it would take for construction of a new tennis center.
“I’m looking for a way to have the
least impact on all of the programs,” Greene said.
Operations Director Jim Barnes
said that it could take about 18
months once a site is chosen.
Demolition of the community center would come after that.
“The existing tennis facility
would not be disrupted until a new
facility was in place,” he said.
“That directly impacts how soon
you can start the new community
center. You can’t do any new construction on the existing site unless you decide not to use any of
the areas where the tennis center
and courts are.”
Mayor Bob Margolis asked
Wellington Tennis Center Director Tommy Cheatham to weigh in
on the new site.
“I think the tennis community
would like to see a facility where
we have more tennis courts than
we do right now,” Cheatham said.
“We’d like to see a minimum of 20.
See TENNIS, page 18

A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY

The Royal Palm Beach Seniors Activities Group hosted a
Mother’s Day Celebration on Friday, May 10 at the Royal Palm
Beach Cultural Center. At the event, longtime resident Ruth
Hamlyn was surprised with a cake for her 100th birthday.
Shown here, Hamlyn is delighted by the cake brought to her by
Joe Schelorke. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 12
PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

June 8 Benefit For
Town-Crier Staffer
Jason Budjinski
By Lauren Miró
Town-Crier Staff Report
Facing several major surgeries
— including a liver transplant —
local musician and longtime TownCrier employee Jason Budjinski
has often worried how he will
weather his current health crisis.
One thing is sure: he won’t do it
alone.
Family and friends, along with
the Town-Crier and many others
in the western communities, will
host a benefit for the Jason Budjinski Surgery Relief Fund on Saturday, June 8 from noon to 3 p.m.
at the Madison Green Golf Club in
Royal Palm Beach.
“People here, along with all my
friends from over the years, and
even people from as far away as
Okeechobee, have reached out to
support me,” Budjinski said. “It’s
beyond words, the way I feel. My

gratitude to everyone can’t be
measured.”
The entire community is invited
to join for music, fun and food,
along with live and silent auctions
that will benefit Budjinski’s medical fund.
In 1999, Budjinski was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and
primary sclerosing cholangitis
(PSC), an autoimmune disease that
affects the liver.
“It’s an autoimmune disease of
the bile ducts,” Budjinski explained. “The ducts get narrow
and scar, and ultimately it affects
the liver.”
Budjinski and his family moved
to the western communities in
1979. He grew up in the area, playing little league sports and attending local schools.
Western Pines Middle School
See BUDJINSKI, page 18

High School Seniors Prepare To Don Cap And Gown
By Alexandra Antonopoulos
Town-Crier Staff Report
Hundreds of seniors from the
western communities will descend
upon the South Florida Fairgrounds next week for graduation
ceremonies celebrating the end of
their high school careers.
The commencement season
kicks off with Wellington High
School’s graduation Tuesday,
May 21, and continues with graduation ceremonies for Seminole
Ridge High School and Palm Beach
Central High School on Thursday,
May 23. Royal Palm Beach High
School will celebrate the Class of
2013 on Friday, May 24.

Each spring, students power
through their days with laser focus, patiently biding their time until
the bell rings that final chime of
the semester, marking the arrival
of summer.
For high school seniors,
though, the last weeks of May
present an opportunity for both
reflection on school years past and
excitement for what lies ahead.
Their years of effort and determination have all led up to this: graduation day.
In the western communities, the
graduating classes each have their
own standouts. These students
represent the top of their class.

They have worked tirelessly to
achieve academic success. In their
ranks are future entrepreneurs,
cultural icons and the bold leaders of tomorrow.
At Wellington High School,
graduate coordinator Susan Cooperman witnessed a kind and motivated graduating class overcome
distractions and focus on the task
at hand. “We had a lot of scheduling changes and interruptions due
to testing this year, but they handled it with aplomb,” she said.
“They adapted very easily.”
Ali Sina Booeshaghi is this
year’s WHS valedictorian. After
graduation, his sights are set on

the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, where he intends to
study engineering. The school’s
salutatorian, Marc Nebb, will attend the University of Florida in
the fall.
Cooperman went on to stress
the strength of character that she
saw in the graduating WHS seniors. “This class is a very nice
group of people; they’re really a
motivated, good group,” she said.
WHS graduation exercises will
be held Tuesday, May 21 at 4 p.m.
at the South Florida Fairgrounds
Expo Center.
A similar sentiment was echoed
by Seminole Ridge High School

Principal James Campbell, who remarked on the achievements of his
525-student graduating class, despite a rocky back-to-school transition.
“Hurricane Isaac closed the
school for six days,” he said. “Regardless, it was a quiet but successful year,” Campbell said.
“Many of our students received
scholarships, both athletic and
academic.”
One of them is valedictorian
Ryan Meingasner, who accepted
a full academic scholarship to Duke
University and plans to study neuroscience. Meingasner is one of
See GRADUATIONS, page 18

Page 2 May 17 - May 23, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

May 17 - May 23, 2013 Page 3

NEWS

Wellington Finalizes New Biz Hour Rules With Last-Minute Changes
By Lauren Miró
Town-Crier Staff Report
Wellington businesses located
within 300 feet of homes can now
open an hour earlier and stay open
an hour later after members of the
Wellington Village Council gave
final approval Tuesday to new
rules governing hours of operation.
But last-minute changes divided council members, who debated
for more than an hour over requiring businesses to come before the
council for hours beyond 2 a.m.
and whether to hold professional
offices to the same rules.
“This is to protect our residents
and be fair and balanced with our
business community,” Councilman Matt Willhite said.
Businesses within 300 feet of
homes have long been restricted
to operating hours between 6 a.m.

and 11 p.m., though the rule went
largely unenforced. The ordinance
will now allow businesses to open
at 5 a.m. and stay open until midnight.
Outdoor activity, however, will
remain limited to between 6 a.m.
and 11 p.m.
Any business looking to operate outside those hours will have
to apply for a permit and pay a $500
fee, but council members voted to
include a 60-day grace period during which the fee will be waived
for existing businesses.
On the ordinance’s first reading,
the decision to allow for extended
hours was left to the village’s
growth management director. But
Willhite said he thought the council should decide which businesses could operate beyond 2 a.m.
“I think 2 a.m. is a reasonable
hour for most businesses to be

open,” he said. “Beyond that, I
think they should come before the
council.”
But Vice Mayor Howard Coates
noted that Wellington was trying
to make the process easier.
“The whole idea in [changing
the rules] was to avoid these types
of things coming back to the council,” he said. “That’s why we are
relying on our growth management
director to decide.”
Coates also noted that making
businesses come before the council creates uncertainty.
“Not only will businesses that
operate 24 hours have to come
back for a permit, but they will also
have to subject themselves to the
political uncertainties of what this
council might do with one business versus another business.”
Coates said that council members had agreed to add criteria for

businesses looking to stay open
late so as to avoid having to come
before the council.
“I was hoping that by applying
the criteria we’ve set out, we will
get consistent applications,” he
said. “I don’t have a problem with
extraordinary circumstances coming before us, but I think we’re just
going to mess this up and create
more uncertainty.”
But Willhite said that leaving the
decision to an employee could
also lead to inconsistency. “We
get inconsistent opinions from
time to time,” he said.
Another issue was an exemption in the rules for professional
offices. Coates asked how those
businesses are defined and controlled. “Even if they are in an office, they may not be traditional
businesses,” Coates said.
Growth Management Director

Rooney: Plenty Of Local Funding In State Budget
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
State Rep. Pat Rooney (R-District 85) gave a legislative update
to the Indian Trail Improvement
District Board of Supervisors last
week, listing $4 million to reinforce
the berm separating the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area
from The Acreage as the biggest
benefit for the district in the new
state budget.
The $4 million was about half of
the more than $8 million recommended by Gov. Rick Scott. “We
tried to get something for the Corbett this year, and hopefully we
can get the other half next year,”
Rooney said at the ITID meeting
Wednesday, May 8.
The legislature approved a $74.5
billion budget. “That’s about $4.5
billion more than it was last year,”
Rooney said. “The state’s economy is getting better. Our sales tax
receipts were up. Tourism is better. A lot of people are spending
money. That’s the primary reason
why we are able to have a little bit
more money this year than in the
past couple of years.”
Out of the $74.5 billion, $31.1
billion is for the healthcare budget, and $20.3 billion is for education, which includes $480 million
set aside for teacher merit pay raises. State employees will receive
across-the-board raises between
$1,000 and $1,400. State law enforcement officials will get an additional increase.

In addition to the Corbett levee
financing, Palm Beach County specifically will get $4.3 million toward
restoration of the Loxahatchee River and $1 million for Jupiter Carlin
Park Beach restoration. Funding
of $70 million was approved for
Everglades restoration.
The legislature approved an
elections bill that will address early voting issues that arose in the
last election.
“It gives the supervisors of elections much more flexibility in terms
of sites for early voting,” Rooney
said. “It’s not going to be limited
now to city halls and libraries. It
will give the supervisor more flexibility in terms of hours of early
voting and locations. It really puts
the issue with your local supervisor, which everybody in Tallahassee thought was a good thing to
do.”
The legislature also increased
the age for foster care emancipation from 18 to 21. “Some of these
kids just aren’t ready to be out on
their own,” Rooney said, explaining that some want to go to college and some are just not ready
to join the workforce at 18. “The
testimony that we got was that if
you could make it 21, that would
help them get to a stage in life that
they would be better able to handle some of those big decisions.”
The legislature also approved
Florida’s first texting-while-driving
ban, making it a secondary offense. “If you’re stopped for some-

thing else and caught texting while
driving, you can be cited for that,”
Rooney said. “The last-minute
amendment that was put in there
does not allow law enforcement to
use your phone records in terms
of the texting unless there was a
crash involving bodily injury or
death. It’s a starting point. It’s not
really where we want it to be with
texting and driving, but it’s like
when we started doing things with
seat belts. I think this will evolve
as it goes along.”
The legislature also approved
the Cancer Treatment Fairness
Act, which was strongly advocated by State Sen. Majority Leader
Lizbeth Benacquisto (R-District
30), that will mandate that insurance companies have to pay for
oral cancer treatment in the same
manner that they pay for intravenous treatment.
“With technology and advances in science, a lot of oral medications do just as good a job as the
intravenous, but it was not mandated that the insurance companies pay for it,” Rooney said. “If
the governor signs this, it will be.”
Rooney was able to get three of
his six bills passed. “I was able to
get three of the six in front of the
governor,” he said. “He has already signed one of them. That
was the funeral buffer zone. This
basically provides a 500-foot buffer around a funeral or memorial
service to protect free speech but
at the same time give those peo-

ple mourning the death of a loved
one some comfort.”
The law was prompted by the
controversial Westboro Baptist
Church in Kansas and its penchant to protest funerals of military members and other high-profile casualties.
“What we came up with was,
based on some lower court rulings,
is a buffer zone where the free
speech can still be heard, but at
the same time there is a zone there
that they’re not right on top of
everybody yelling and screaming,” Rooney said. “The governor
signed that, and it’s going to be
going into law July 1.”
He also was able to get a Disposition of Human Remains bill
passed. “Right now there is an industry, believe it or not, in Florida
where unclaimed or indigent bodies or body parts are being sold,”
Rooney said. “It’s almost like an
underground industry right now.
It’s unregulated, so we got involved in this and set parameters
on what you can and can’t sell of
unclaimed bodies.”
Another approved Rooney bill
benefits deaf and hard-of-hearing
students who were previously
lumped in school with other special-needs children. “The bill that
I was able to pass basically puts
in place a plan so that the kids are
differentiated a little bit so they get
more and better resources to deal
with their hard-of-hearing or deafness issues,” he said.

Tim Stillings said the business is
defined by its operation. “It
doesn’t matter what type of structure they are in,” he said. “It matters what type of business they
are operating.”
Coates asked why professional
business offices were exempt from
the new ordinance.
“As I see it, there is a distinction between being able to go into
your office and work all night versus having the doors open for cli-

ents and customers,” he said.
“What we’re trying to do is protect the ability of [someone] to be
in their office all night long. Can
they do that as long as the doors
aren’t open for business?”
Stillings said the ordinance did
not specify whether customers
were in the office.
“It doesn’t differentiate between whether you’re open for
business or not,” Stillings said. “It
See BIZ HOURS, page 18

Lox Groves Attorney
Responds To Lawsuit
Over College Campus
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
Loxahatchee Groves Town Attorney Mike Cirullo filed a response Tuesday to a lawsuit filed
by residents who circulated a petition to stop the construction of
the planned Palm Beach State College on Southern Blvd.
In March, Town Clerk Sue Eichhorn deemed the petition insufficient because there was no indication that the text of the petition
had been attached to the list of
signatories when it was circulated, as required by the town charter.
Town resident Todd McLendon,
on behalf of Petitioners’ Committee for the Repeal of Ordinances,
filed a writ of mandamus April 24
to compel the town to show cause
why it had not acted upon the petition.
Cirullo’s response contended
that the clerk and council responded appropriately when the clerk
deemed the petition insufficient
and the council upheld the clerk’s
decision.
McLendon and the committee
are seeking an order compelling
the town clerk to perform the ministerial act of processing the citizens’ initiative and moving forward with a referendum.
However, the town does not
believe its role in the matter is purely ministerial.
“On the other hand, the members of the committee did not do
what they were obligated to do,”
Cirullo wrote in the town’s response. “The amended petition is
utterly without merit and must be
rejected by this court.”
The response also asserts that

the court needs to ascertain the
petitioners’ standing as a legal
entity to bring action against the
town. If it is not a legal entity, the
individual members, as opposed
to an individual member, should
collectively sue the town.
Cirullo’s response further
points out that the town charter
provides for a determination by the
town clerk that specific criteria have
been satisfied, and the clerk found
that the initiative petition did not
satisfy those criteria. The determination was subsequently upheld
by the council. “The decision of
the town council to uphold the
town clerk’s determination of insufficiency necessarily involved
the exercise of judgment and discretion,” Cirullo wrote.
During the council’s consideration of the petition and the clerk’s
finding of insufficiency, McLendon had said that copies of the
ordinance were attached to the list
of signatories, but they had been
removed when the committee submitted the petition.
“The petitioner admits that the
initiative documents were altered
in that required items were removed,” Cirullo noted.
The response also contends
that the petition is unconstitutional
in that it conflicts with a state law
that prohibits amendments to comprehensive plans from being the
subject of initiatives or referenda
except in very limited circumstances not applicable in this case.
Cirullo added that two bills have
been approved by the Florida Legislature and are on Gov. Rick
Scott’s desk awaiting signatures
that would render the petition invalid if either bill becomes law.

Page 4 May 17 - May 23, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

OUR OPINION

It’s Graduation Time: Words Of Wisdom For The Class Of 2013
Area seniors will celebrate the end of their high school careers next week. The commencement season kicks off with Wellington High School’s graduation on Tuesday, May 21 and
continues with graduation ceremonies for Seminole Ridge High School and Palm Beach Central High School on Thursday, May 23. Royal Palm Beach High School will celebrate the Class
of 2013 on Friday, May 24.
Don’t we all wish we could go back to graduation day? For a few hours surrounded by
friends and family, graduates find themselves in that magical limbo between high school and
whatever comes next, without academic obligations to classes past or responsibilities yet to
come. Everything is promise; it is too late for nothing. If we could turn back the clock, there are
certainly a few things we’d all do differently. As we do every year, the Town-Crier offers
some practical advice to those preparing to take the next step in their lives, wherever that may
be.
• Slow Down — As the saying goes: “Life moves fast, if you don’t slow down you might
miss it.” Though your new-found freedom may bring exciting twists and turns, opening you up
to new opportunities, it is important to remember to stop and appreciate the moment before
jumping head-first into new excitement. At the same time, it’s important not to get so bogged
down with life that you power through, wasting precious moments. Think back to the days
when being a high school graduate was just a far-off dream. One day, you might be dreaming
of the next big thing; but don’t wish your life away. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutia of

daily tasks and focus on your frustration. Every so often, take a deep breath and look at where
you are, who your friends are and what you love about your life today.
• Trust Yourself — That tiny voice in the back of your head is often a guiding light that will
help you make smart decisions. Trust it. You know yourself better than anyone else, and only
you can make the right decisions for your future. Whether that voice is telling you to take a risk
in your profession, warning you away from getting in a car with a friend who’s had a few
drinks, or begging you to major in architecture and not engineering, ignoring your intuition is a
bad idea. Learning to trust yourself will make you a stronger and more confident person who
can truly stand proud behind their work, their beliefs and their goals.
• Nothing Comes Easy — No matter how talented you may be, nothing impresses like hard
work and dedication. Be it in school, in your chosen profession, or on the ladder up to your
dream job. Hard work is never fun, and it’s easy to let pride and laziness get in the way of
success. Not everyone lands his or her dream job on the first try, and that’s OK. Accept the
fact that life isn’t always fair, but that doesn’t mean you throw your hands up and admit defeat.
Don’t be afraid to take a job that isn’t perfect. Work really hard for what you want; you’ll be a
better person for it.
Grads, you’ve got the world at your fingertips and this is the most exciting challenge you have
faced yet. Your family and friends love you and are waiting to be impressed. We know you
won’t let us down. No pressure, Class of 2013.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Support The
Inspector
General
I, like most, if not all, of the 72
percent of Palm Beach County
voters who voted for the creation
of the Office of the Inspector General, am absolutely appalled by the
contempt being shown not only
to the OIG, but also to the desire of
we, the people.
It is absurd to try to tie the hands
of [Inspector General] Sheryl
Steckler behind her, blindfold and
gag her and then have the audacity to criticize her performance.
Shame on you, [County Administrator] Bob Weisman, who had
been an excellent administrator
until you eliminated over 700 jobs
during a recession, and now your
relentless attack on the IG. Shame
also on the cities who are part of
this clandestine conspiracy. The
Town-Crier and every other newspaper that I read fully support the
OIG and Sheryl Steckler.
What on Earth is scaring a minority who seem to have no problem with our label Corruption
County?
It was encouraging to see Rhonda Ferrin-Davis get up for the very
first time in chambers and speak in
support of the IG. (You go, girl!)
Eloquent speeches were given by
the majority that spoke (97% in favor). One commissioner pointed
out that all the speakers in support of the IG came from the same
place. Is it relevant where they
came from?
What’s happening to Sheryl is
wrong. What the detractors are
doing to her and her office is deplorable. It’s like taking a sleeping
pill and a laxative in the same night.
Keep up the good work, Sheryl.
We, the people are behind you 100
percent.
Alma Slater
Wellington

Support The
Office, Not
The Person
There seems to be no end to the
turmoil created by the Palm Beach
County Office of the Inspector
General. Each side seems to put
the blame everywhere but where
it should rightly be. First it was
the cities filing suit over the funding matrix. I clearly heard the County Administrator [Robert Weisman] say that the funding mechanism in the referendum was not
enough to fund the office and that
early on he had recommended another method which the commissioners employed. That means the
cities are correct that the funding
is not in line with what the people
voted.
Next we have the county administrator at fault because he criti-

cized his employee, Sheryl Steckler, for circumventing her employer to become involved in the lawsuit and to expand the budget and
personnel of her office.
But let’s take a look at the common denominator here — Ms.
Steckler. She certainly has been an
inappropriate employee. There is
no solution that satisfies her, and
when she does not get her way,
she begins a public rant with the
unfortunate support of one of the
commissioners. It is time for this
to end. The public continues to
support the Office of the Inspector General, but it can no longer
continue to support the individual who sits in that position. It is
Ms. Steckler who is the embarrassment of the county.
According to Mayor [Steven]
Abrams, the inspector general is
recommended by the state attorney, public defender and the ethics commission, I urge them to secure an individual for the Office of
the Inspector General who will follow the guidelines of the position,
work within the budget and provide the public with the service that
they voted for.
Jerry Coffman
Royal Palm Beach

Letter Was From
Sore Losers
The following is my response
to last week’s letter by Gary Webster, husband of former Royal
Palm Beach Councilwoman Martha Webster (Dave Swift’s Sign
Fixation, May 10). Losing an election is tough. I should know because my husband David has lost
two of them during his political
career. I understand your frustration, but I never expected to be
personally attacked with false
statements and outright lies in our
local paper. I recognize that as a
political figure, my husband is fair
game, but as a private citizen, I am
not.
This is the second time that you
or your wife have attempted to
smear my reputation by filing false
charges of stealing campaign
signs in 2006, and again restating
the same nonsense in last week’s
Town-Crier as a spiteful way to
get back at my husband. All I can
say is shame on you. If anyone
would like a copy of the 2006 police report, they can make a public
records request at the Palm Beach
County Sheriff’s Office District 9
substation, located at 11498 Okeechobee Blvd. in Royal Palm Beach
and request a copy of case No.
06-042241 (March 28, 2006).
Based on Mr. Webster’s letter,
it is clear he has not read the 2006
report. What it says is that I was
“exceptionally cleared” of all
charges filed against me. His letter
also states that Martha Webster
had nothing to do with filing these
false charges against me. Page 1

of the report clearly identifies Martha as one of the two complainants interviewed in the case.
Mr. Webster’s letter also states
that I was “caught red handed with
the goods.” The report states that
a search of my car produced no
stolen campaign signs. His letter
goes on to say that the charges
were “suspiciously dropped” suggesting my husband has some
kind of influence over the PBSO
and the state attorney’s office that
handled this case. There is nothing suspicious about it. There was
no evidence found that I did anything illegal or inappropriate —
end of story.
His letter ends stating that my
husband wants to limit political
campaign signs in the village. Nothing could be further from the truth.
At last week’s council meeting, my
husband voted to allow campaigns signs on certain areas of
village-owned property with no
change to what is allowed on private property. This change will
increase sign exposure for new,
less-experienced candidates who
might want to challenge an incumbent.
When you make the decision
to run for public office you need
to understand three basic things:
1) it is very competitive, 2) there
are only winners and losers, and
3) the voters seldom get it wrong.
You and your wife need to accept these facts, move on and
refocus your lives to help make
this a better community. The election is over. Nobody likes a sore
loser.
Nixie Swift
Royal Palm Beach

OIG Is Wasting
Our Money
I respectfully disagree with your
editorial endorsement of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and
your denouncement of the efforts
of municipalities to challenge the
proposed funding methods for the
office.
You correctly stated that “72
percent of Palm Beach County
voters” agreed with the “goal... to
stamp out corruption” when they
voted to accept oversight by an
OIG. But the voters could not possibly have known the details of
how the OIG was to operate nor
how it was to be funded, since
those details were not established
until several months after the vote.
Here is exactly what was approved:
“Shall the Palm Beach County
Charter be amended to require the
Board of County Commissioners
to establish by ordinances applicable to Palm Beach County and
all municipalities approving this
amendment: a code of ethics, an
independent commission on ethics funded by the county commission, and an independent inspector general funded by the county

commission and all other governmental entities subject to the authority of the inspector general?”
When the ordinances were finalized, in 2011, the voters had no
opportunity to reconsider their
votes. The specific funding method that was established is what
the municipalities took to the
courts. As they should have. And
the courts may well disallow the
method. That is a legal question
that is yet to be settled.
As to the actual operation of
the OIG, there are some very rational concerns that most voters are
unaware of. I investigated in depth
two OIG actions regarding Wellington. One was the Patriot Memorial “Contract Oversight Observation” and the other was the
“Audit Report” of Purchasing/
Fuel Card Controls. The direct cost
to the citizens of the village of
those OIG actions was around
$60,000 in staff time and expenditures in order to provide the OIG
with the demanded information.
The OIG found no illegal behavior
or spending. The total amount of
even questionable spending was
less than $1,000. No substantial
change was made in village policies or operations, because no
change was necessary. They were
doing nothing wrong.
So village citizens were required
to spend $60,000 for absolutely no
reason except the whim of the OIG.
Also, the amount that all Palm
Beach County citizens had to pay
for the OIG time and effort is unknown. Even though the OIG ordinance clearly states that, “The
inspector general shall establish
policies and procedures and monitor the costs of investigations
undertaken...” Why do citizens not
know? Because the OIG arbitrarily decided that observations and
audits are not investigations and
do not require monitoring of their
costs. In fact, it is unclear that the
OIG actually monitors costs for
individual investigations. I do not
consider those arbitrary decisions
to be ethical.
Nor do I consider the OIG’s
claims of effectiveness to be ethical. The OIG annual report for FY
2012, for example, claimed an OIG
“Return on Investment” of nearly
$2,500,000. In actual fact, the only
potential recovery of money was
a “pending” $226,028.
My personal opinion of proper and effective methods to reach
the goal of stamping out corruption does not include an OIG that
is not answerable to the public,
who has unlimited power to require the county and municipalities to provide it with any and
all information demanded by the
OIG without regard to cost and
effort, and who makes its own
decisions as to how to report its
expenditures.
Phil Sexton
Wellington

A Chat With
Bob Weisman
After reading about County
Administrator Bob Weisman’s call
that Inspector General Sheryl
Steckler be fired, I sent him an email on April 23, as follows:
“Dear Mr. Weisman: With regard to the article in today’s Palm
Beach Post, where you call for the
‘firing’ of the county inspector
general, please note that I highly
respect you, but please also note
that the inspector general is ‘ours,’
not yours! There is a very good
reason for that. Such comments
and actions on your part are not
appreciated by ‘we, the people!’”
Within an hour I received a reply e-mail from Mr. Weisman as
follows:
“Mr. Zakrzewski: With all respect, the inspector general is an
office occupied by a person. The
public voted for the office, not the
person. The person in this case is
Ms. Steckler. I hope you would
agree that just because a person
is employed and given a title that
they should not be viewed as infallible and that their job performance can be challenged. I think
her job performance should be
severely questioned. As there is
no real oversight/supervision of
her decisions and her office’s work,
I am prepared to make a case in
public forum, which is my only alternative. It is my position that Ms.
Steckler does not conduct herself
in accordance with the principles
of the Association of Inspector
Generals or in accordance with her
office motto: “enhancing public
trust in government.” If I am correct, the overall public good is not
being well served. I hope you will
have an open mind as her job performance is publicly reviewed in
accordance with ordinance procedure in coming months. I may or
may not find support for my position. You are absolutely right, she
is not ‘mine.’ If she was, I would
have terminated her some time
ago.”
After receiving his e-mail, I sent
a response back as follows:
“Dear Bob: Again, with all due
respect, as a business owner for
many years contracting with the
federal government on nationwide
engineering and construction
projects, my firm was always open
to the government’s Office of the
Inspector General, meaning fullblown financial audits, of which
we had no control whatsoever in
directing how that office and their

auditors were supposed to act or
what to do. That is the nature of
the beast, in order for it to work,
whether I, or others liked it or not.
As the highest and almightiest
longtime non-elected county public employee, you obviously do
not like the idea that there is another non-elected county employee who is able to act above you.
Sad, Bob, but that is the real world
that all other non-public employees in our country deal with daily.
You have been in your position
so long that you have forgotten.
By the way, other than this and a
couple minor issues, I fully support what you have accomplished
as our county administrator, and I
fully support you. And what I
know of you from the press and
Channel 20, you seem like an outstanding person. P.S.: There is a
very good reason why the people
have decided that the inspector
general not fall under your purview. The inspector general’s oversight is provided by the people. If
‘we, the people’ do not approve
of her actions, all will know. We
will act and let all know. Just look
at [former] Congressman Allen
West. No amount of money could
stop the uprising of people against
his hate-filled rhetoric.”
Hopefully this will enlighten
your readers who do not have real
life dealings with an inspector general and an understanding as to
why IGs must have full autonomy
and answer only to the people, and
to work in hand with the state attorney.
Ed Zakrzewski
The Acreage

Support For Gun
Regulations
The Second Amendment states,
“A well-regulated militia, being
necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to
keep and bear arms, shall not be
infringed.”
What part of it says that “a wellregulated militia” excludes a wellregulated gun ownership? No spin
of this amendment can justify the
right to bear war weapons against
unarmed kids and all citizens.
Closed case! Enough with the fake
arguments and false rhetoric. The
only ones who really object to
background checks and regulation
are nuts, criminals and people with
something to hide. Honest people
have nothing to hide.
Jude Smallwood
Royal Palm Beach

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please
keep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, with
contact name, address and telephone number
(anonymous letters will not be published), to The TownCrier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington,
FL 33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090; or you can
e-mail letters@goTownCrier.com.

NEWS
ITID Budget

Drainage
Budget Up

continued from page 1
following the flooding from Tropical Storm Isaac.
Director of Maintenance &
Operations Michael Guinaugh
said his department’s budget is
up 6 percent, which highlights
four mowing positions, replacement of one motor grader, equipment for a road and canal crew,
24 road maintenance projects

and $875,000 in road improvements.
Pump operations and aquatics
would see a 78 percent increase
from about $1.2 million to $2.2 million, with a major focus on comprehensive drainage planning to
include ongoing telemetry upgrades, canal maintenance, and
pump and engine rebuilding and
replacement.
ITID Administrator Tanya
Quickel pointed out that only one
motor grader is scheduled for replacement instead of two as originally planned. Two mowers are

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Serving The Palms West Communities For 33 Years
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scheduled to be purchased, as
well as a heavy equipment trailer,
sweeper attachment, skid steer,
vibratory roller and box blade.
None of the district’s 26 vehicles are scheduled for replacement, and no dump truck replacement is scheduled as originally
planned.
Resident Patricia Curry asked
how much use Hoefl Park gets,
and Wojnar said it is not used as
much as other parks because it
only has a portable toilet.
“Hoefl Park has one of the largest pavilions in the district,” Woj-

nar said. “The parking lot is one of
the largest in the district. It can
accommodate a lot of people, and
we get a lot of requests to do wedding receptions there. But as soon
as people find out there is a porta-potty there, that’s a turn-off.”
The playground equipment was
installed in 1995, and it was designed to last 10 to 12 years. “A
lot of the replacement parts for that
playground are no longer available,” Wojnar said, adding that the
playground equipment is heavily
used by daycare centers and
home-school families.

Resident Alan Ballweg suggested that the district replace the
pumps scheduled for rebuilding
and keep the old pumps as portables in the event of another flood.
Ballweg also asked about the
planned telemetry upgrades, as he
was under the impression there
was only one telemetry failure during the flood.
Guinaugh said some of the sites
require a new telemetry installation
because they are required as part
of the South Florida Water Management District permit application. Other sites do not interface

well with the district’s computer
system, he said.
ITID Vice President Carol Jacobs complimented Guinaugh on
his work since he took over the
directorship of maintenance and
operations several months ago.
“Everywhere I go, people are
working,” Jacobs said. “I think
the more efficient we get inhouse, a lot less money will be
wasted.”
The Truth in Millage (TRIM)
resolution, budget and assessment rates will be presented at the
June 5 ITID board meeting.

The Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

May 17 - May 23, 2013 Page 5

NEWS

DANCE AT WELLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL PROMOTES BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
ThinkPINKkids held its Dance Night for the Fight on Friday, May 10 at Wellington High School. The student-run organization hosted a
community dance to celebrate those who are fighting breast cancer and to bring awareness to the cause. In attendance were Amy and
Adam Aqua, who launched the South Florida chapter of thinkPINKkids in 2009. For more information, visit www.thinkpinkkids.com.
PHOTOS BY ALEXANDRA ANTONOPOULOS/TOWN-CRIER

Bonnie Koos hugs Valen Adams and
Briana Koos as the party gets started.

Jack and Madeline Farias with Christine Rolin and Suzi McGann.

MELISSA GANZI LEADS INTRODUCTORY POLO SESSION AT WELLINGTON LIBRARY

Professional polo player Melissa Ganzi hosted a children’s introduction to polo workshop Saturday, May 11 at the Wellington library.
Attendees learned the rules of the game and tried on some of Ganzi’s gear. After watching video of polo players in action, everyone tried
their hand at goal scoring in a mini-match. A question-and-answer session wrapped up a fun and educational seminar.
PHOTOS BY ALEXANDRA ANTONOPOULOS/TOWN-CRIER

Ganzi joins workshop attendees as they show their new mallets.

Kathryn Stepp tries on Ganzi’s gear.

Melissa Ganzi with workshop attendee Briana Marturano.

Page 6 May 17 - May 23, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

CRIME NEWS

Several Drug Arrests
Reported In RPB
By Lauren Miró and
Alexandra Antonopoulos
Town-Crier Staff Report
MAY 8 — An Acreage man and
a Royal Palm Beach woman were
arrested early last Wednesday
morning on drug charges following an incident in the Shoma
Homes community. According to
a PBSO report, at approximately
midnight, a deputy from the Royal
Palm Beach substation received a
report of a disturbance coming
from the home. According to the
report, the deputy arrived and
made contact with 23-year-old
Barbara Conlin. A second suspect,
29-year-old Sean Taylor, fled the
home when deputies arrived. According to the report, the deputy
discovered syringes with heroin
at the scene and placed Conlin
under arrest. According to the report, Taylor later returned to the
scene, and the deputy ordered him
to leave. When he did not comply,
he was placed under arrest. According to the report, the deputy
found an unidentified controlled
substance in a pack of cigarettes
during a search. The deputy also
discovered that Taylor had failed
to change his address, a violation
of his sex offender status. Conlin
and Taylor were taken to the Palm
Beach County Jail, where Conlin
was charged with possession of
heroin. Taylor was charged with
trespassing, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and failure to report a residence change.
MAY 9 — A deputy from the
PBSO substation in Royal Palm
Beach responded to a complaint
of public intoxication at a liquor
store on Southern Blvd. last
Thursday night. According to the
report, at approximately 9:30 p.m.
the deputy discovered 48-year-old
John Booth of West Palm Beach
and a second subject in the parking lot of the store. Booth appeared to be intoxicated with
slurred speech, red glassy eyes
and a strong smell of alcohol. According to the report, he also had
several open containers of beer.
Booth yelled and cursed at the
deputy and was detained. According to the report, Booth tried to
flee the scene but fell to the
ground. He was arrested and issued a notice to appear in court.
The second man was arrested for
shoplifting liquor from the store.
MAY 9 — A deputy from the
PBSO substation in Royal Palm
Beach was on patrol in the Southern Palm Crossing shopping plaza
last Thursday evening when he
discovered a burglarized vehicle.
According to the report, the deputy made contact with the victim
who said she had parked her vehicle in the parking lot at approximately 6:15 p.m. and left her Louis
Vuitton purse in the back seat. The
victim said she then went to Seminole Palms Park. Sometime between then and 6:30 p.m., someone smashed the rear window of
the victim’s vehicle and removed
the purse. According to the report,
the purse contained a matching
Louis Vuitton wallet and a second
monogrammed wallet containing
the victim’s credit cards. The stolen items were valued at approximately $1,900. According to the
report, a witness reported that a
school bus dropped off high
school students at approximately
6:15 p.m., and several walked
through the parking lot near the
victim’s car. There was no further
information available at the time
of the report.
MAY 10 — Three Royal Palm
Beach residents were arrested on
drug charges last Friday evening
following an incident at a home on
Lakeview Drive. According to a
PBSO report, at approximately 5:30
p.m., deputies from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach executed a search warrant at the
home. Once inside, the deputies
made contact with 18-year-old
Mikeis Williams, 21-year-old Brittany Roberts and 37-year-old Phillip Whitfield. According to the re-

port, the deputies searched Williams’ bedroom and discovered
several plastic baggies, a grinder
with marijuana residue, a red glass
bong and a small box with .1 gram
of marijuana inside. According to
the report, a loaded black Hi-Point
.380 caliber semi-automatic handgun was found in an air vent in
Williams’ room, and two pellet
guns were retrieved from a kitchen cabinet. The deputies also discovered a digital scale under the
stairs in the main hallway along
with 33 baggies of marijuana hidden behind a mirror in the living
room and three small, dead marijuana plants on the back patio.
Williams, Roberts and Whitfield
were arrested and taken to the
county jail where they were
charged with several counts of
possession of marijuana with intent to sell, along with other individual charges.
MAY 12 — A Boynton Beach
woman was arrested on charges
of drunken driving following an
incident at the intersection of
Southern Blvd. and Lamstein Lane
early last Sunday morning. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation was diverting traffic from
an accident when he observed a
vehicle drifting in its lane. According to the report, he made contact
with the driver, 19-year old Chloe
Kovacs, who smelled strongly of
alcohol. The deputy administered
roadside tasks and subsequently
arrested Kovacs. Kovacs was taken to the county jail where a
breath test revealed she had a
blood alcohol level of .2. Kovacs
was charged with driving under
the influence of alcohol.
MAY 13 — A deputy from the
PBSO’s Acreage/Loxahatchee
substation responded to a home
on 89th Place North on Monday
morning regarding a stolen vehicle. According to the report, the
victim’s gray 2012 Hyundai Santa
Fe was stolen from her driveway
sometime between 10 p.m. last
Sunday night and 6 a.m. the following morning. According to the
report, the perpetrator(s) also
caused approximately $100 in damage to the victim’s mailbox. There
were no suspects or witnesses at
the time of the report.
MAY 13 — An employee of a
company on Business Parkway in
Royal Palm Beach contacted the
PBSO on Monday to report a case
of fraud. According to a PBSO report, on Saturday, Feb. 2, the company sold a water system to a Miami man who used a stolen Visa
credit card to pay for the item,
which cost $3,445. According to
the report, the business got a notice from Visa that the company
would not pay for the water system because the cardholder said
he had never purchased it. The
suspect and two other men arrived
to purchase the water system, and
the incident was caught on video
surveillance tape. The suspect was
described as a Hispanic male approximately 6’ tall. There was no
further information available at the
time of the report.
MAY 13 —A deputy from the
PBSO substation in Royal Palm
Beach was dispatched Monday
morning to a home on Meander
Circle regarding a residential burglary. According to a PBSO report,
the victim left his garage door open
and sometime between 4 p.m. last
Sunday and 10:35 a.m. the following morning, someone stole four
chrome and black rims and a radio
from inside the garage. The stolen
items were valued at approximately $1,530. There were no suspects
or witnesses at the time of the report.
MAY 14 — An employee of a
Fort Lauderdale-based business
contacted the PBSO substation in
Royal Palm Beach on Tuesday to
report a case of fraud. According
to a PBSO report, last Sunday
evening someone used the business’s credit card to make more
than 25 fraudulent charges at sevSee BLOTTER, page 18

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is
asking for the public’s help in finding this
wanted fugitive:
Kristel Tasane, alias Kristel Alben, is a white
female, 6’6” tall and weighing 160 lbs., with
brown hair and brown eyes. Her date of birth
is 03/23/1979. Tasane is wanted for violation
of probation on charges of child neglect and
failure to appear on charges of driving under
the influence, driving without a valid driver’s
license, leaving the scene of an accident and
causing damage over $2,500. Her last known
address was Pine Circle in Greenacres. She
is wanted as of 05/09/13.
Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward. Call Crime
Stopper s at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visit
www.crimestopperspbc.com.

Kristel Tasane

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BY
CRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. CRIMESTOPPERS
IS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT SHOWN HERE.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

May 17 - May 23, 2013 Page 7

NEWS

RPB Supports Having Outside Group Stage Candidate Forums
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
The Royal Palm Beach Village
Council directed its staff earlier
this month to take steps to make
sure that there is a televised candidate forum held before each village election.
Up until this year, there had
been an official village-sanctioned
candidate forum held shortly before the annual Royal Palm Beach
election each March. However,
there was no forum held during the
last campaign.
The council had asked village
staff to look into candidate forum
policies in other municipalities and
found that only seven of the county’s 37 municipalities were involved with forums or debates in
some manner.
At the May 2 council meeting,
Village Manager Ray Liggins said
that during the last election, neither village staff nor the organization that usually stages the preelection forum initiated the process
to have one. “Without specific direction from the council, staff

would continue not taking initiative on it,” Liggins said.
Aside from polling the procedures in other municipalities, Village Clerk Diane DiSanto requested candidate forum proposals from
several organizations known to
have hosted such events before.
Among them were the Palm Beach
County League of Women Voters,
which has produced Royal Palm
Beach candidate forums in previous years, as well as the Central
Palm Beach County Chamber of
Commerce and the Town-Crier
newspaper.
“That does not mean they are
the only choices,” Liggins said. “It
was just the groups that have
done them before in the western
communities.”
Liggins said the village could
host the forums, airing them on the
village’s cable channel as is done
for other public meetings.
“In order to be prepared for the
next election, if it is the council’s
desire to have a televised debate,
we would just need some direction from you,” Liggins said.

Liggins said the village should
be involved in some manner since
it is the village’s facilities and
broadcasting equipment that are
being used.
Mayor Matty Mattioli said he
felt it should be incumbent upon
candidates to notify the clerk if they
would like to take part in a forum.
Councilman David Swift said he
did ask about having a forum during the recent election, and the
clerk’s office told him it would be
up to him to contact the League of
Women Voters. “I did that, and the
League of Women Voters said I
need to coordinate with the clerk’s
office,” Swift said. “I’m not blaming anybody, but it didn’t happen.
I’ve been in politics for more than
20 years, and I believe we have
always had a televised forum in
every election cycle that I can remember.”
Swift said that while he does not
believe that the village should run
candidate forums, he does believe
it should be a staff responsibility
to make sure one is scheduled.
“I would like to make it our re-

LGWCD Agrees To Negotiate
Road Contract With Town
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
The Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Board of Supervisors directed its staff Monday to negotiate a contract for
road grading and maintenance
with the Town of Loxahatchee
Groves.
On May 7, the Loxahatchee
Groves Town Council awarded a
contract to the district for road
grading, rock material, road repairs
and emergency call-outs, LGWCD
Administrator Steven Yohe said.
A contract for mowing, vegetation
removal and dumping fees was
awarded to C&C Loader.
Supervisor Frank Schiola said
he favored the contract but cautioned that he did not want to fall
behind on district road maintenance. “I know the town roads
need to be done, too, but we need
to be mindful that if we have a grader breakdown, or something like
that, we might not be able to keep
up with it,” he said.
Supervisor Don Widing said
that as the district continues to
upgrade its roads to open-graded
emulsion mix (OGEM) paving, the
labor intensity with watering and
grading would diminish. “I’m confident that Mr. Yohe will keep a
watchful eye on that,” he said.
Supervisor John Ryan said it
was a complicated bid, with responsibilities broken down into
separate segments. The district
was the second low bidder to supply gravel, but the town awarded
the contract to the district in order
that it not become too complicated. “My understanding was that

the prices were firm, good for a
year,” Ryan said, adding that he
would like to participate in negotiating details of the contract.
Widing said the contract is significant in bringing the district and
the town into a mutually beneficial relationship after an initially
rocky relationship.
“This is something that we’ve
talked about ever since incorporation,” Widing said. “The idea is
to use the community’s assets, our
residents’ money, and apply it back
into both entities, kind of like an
extension of a public works department to a typical municipality.
It makes perfect sense to me, and I
have confidence that the staff is
going to make this work.”
Widing made a motion to direct
staff to enter into the grading contract agreement, and it carried 3-0
with Chairman David DeMarois
and Supervisor Robert Snowball
absent.
In other business, Yohe said he
had made headway toward getting a quit claim from Southern
States Land & Timber Company
to release all claims to road easements to the district, in preparation for turning over paved roads
to town jurisdiction.
Yohe said he had spoken with
Stephanie Clement, property administrator for Southern States, on
Thursday, May 2. She said they
had received the district’sApril 19
cover letter, quit claim deed and
attachments.
Clement discussed the package
with Southern States Vice President Harry Smith, who called Yohe
on May 10 and said the Southern

States board is receptive to executing a quit-claim deed, and it was
a matter of dollars.
“I mentioned to him that the
board would be receptive to paying for his time and his attorney’s
time, and Ms. Clement’s time, and
let us know when his attorney provides his review,” Yohe said. “He
anticipated that would take about
two weeks.”
Ryan said he thought the letter
and attachments are complete in
terms of how the request was presented and as a reminder of the
background of the district’s involvement with Southern States,
which goes back to the right-ofway deed acquired in 1917.
“While the overall acreage involved is approximately 220 acres,
it’s not contiguous, and it’s basically committed to public use
roads and canals,” Ryan said.
Widing said he found the documents interesting from a historical
standpoint. “It’s a good read,” he
said. “It’s a good historical piece.
The vision of this company and
the individuals involved back in
the day, I don’t think they realized
just what this was really going to
become.”
Ryan pointed out that the original surveyors who carved out Loxahatchee Groves were part of
Southern States Land & Timber.
“I think it’s also interesting that
some of the original families involved with Southern States Land
& Timber had some official positions based on minutes of some
of the early Loxahatchee Groves
Drainage District meetings,” he
noted.

sponsibility to say on a certain date
that we go ahead and ask for someone who would be interested in
running a debate, and provide a
prospectus of how they would run
the debate,” Swift said. “I think the
League of Women Voters has done
a good job in the past, but there’s
a couple of rules that I do not like.
One of them is if one candidate
shows up and the other does not,
the candidate in attendance can’t
speak. To me, it favors the incumbent.”
Swift added that the League of
Women Voters is also not a village
organization and is not up to
speed on local issues. “I really feel
we need to have a televised debate, and we need to initiate the
debate and provide it to the public,” he said.
Mattioli, who chose not to attend a debate hosted by the
League of Women Voters when he
was challenged in 2012 by candidate Felicia Matula, said he did not
see why the village should be in
the position of having a debate if
some candidates do not want a

debate. “I don’t know what your
problem is, but that’s beside the
point,” Mattioli said.
Councilman Fred Pinto said he
thought it was more of a procedural than philosophical issue, and
recommended that they authorize
the village manager and clerk to
officially notify organizations that
typically host candidate forums
that the village has an election
coming up.
“Upon that notification, that
should trigger that agency to begin whatever process they do to
put on the debate,” Pinto said. “It
is up to that entity to vet the candidates, whether they want to
have a debate or not... All our staff
is doing is notifying that entity that
we are having an election and here
are the candidates. From that moment on, we’re done. The only
thing we have to do is assure that
we coordinate the date, so we can
make sure the facility is available
and we have our electronics staff
so that it can be televised.”
Vice Mayor Jeff Hmara said he
was not sure what the goal of the

discussion was. “I thought it was
a question of whether or not we
wished to have a candidate forum
on a regular basis,” Hmara said,
pointing out that discussion had
used the expressions “debate”
and “forum,” which he felt were
different.
He preferred a forum format
where, if candidates showed up
and their opponents did not, they
could still participate. “I would like
us to support as much an opportunity to hear all of the candidates,
and I know what I’m talking about
because I get to be in a barrel next,”
Hmara said. “I think it’s an opportunity for individuals to be heard
in public.”
Councilman Richard Valuntas
agreed that the village should support televised candidate forums
but have them run by outside organizations. “My suggestion
would be just to solicit providers
for it, the village provides the cameras and the venue,” he said.
Valuntas’ opinion fairly well
matched a motion put forward by
Pinto, which carried 5-0.

County To Consider Inspector
General Funding Next Week
By Ron Bukley
Town-Crier Staff Report
Palm Beach County Inspector
General Sheryl Steckler, guest
speaker at the monthly community forum hosted by County Commissioner Jess Santamaria, said
Wednesday that she faces another challenge next week when the
Palm Beach County Commission
considers financing and support
options for her office.
The Office of the Inspector General has been under attack from a
variety of sources, she said, including 14 municipalities led by
West Palm Beach, which filed a
lawsuit in 2011 objecting to the
method of funding.
Discussion at the county commission meeting Tuesday, May 21
will include whether the county
should continue its defense of that
lawsuit and continue its current
method of calculating and financing the inspector general’s office,
or consider two alternatives.
The alternatives are to continue its defense of the funding law-

suit but direct county staff to implement a 0.25 percent contract fee
as indicated by the inspector general’s enabling ordinance approved by voters; or try to negotiate a settlement of the lawsuit that
would implement the 0.25 percent
contract fee via county ordinance,
but make it a choice of the cities to
use the inspector general’s audit
services, with the cities independently contracting and paying for
those services if desired.
Steckler said the question has
gone from being a financing issue to being an independence
issue.
Since the lawsuit was filed by
the cities, the clerk’s office has
withheld payments from all municipalities, including the 24 cities not
involved in the lawsuit.
In addition, under the current
funding scheme utilizing the Local Government Electronic Reporting (LOGER) system, Steckler said
her financing has been further reduced, forcing her to curtail hiring
for her office. The office currently

has 24 staff members when it
should have 40, she said.
“A settlement agreement that
would virtually take our funding
away is a problem for us,” Steckler
said. “The ordinance very clearly
states that the purpose of establishing this funding base is to insure that the office is adequately
funded.”
Steckler said that another problem that has arisen has been the
Office of the Inspector General
being represented by the county
attorney, whose client is the county and the county commission,
while Steckler believes that her
office should be represented by
its own attorney.
She pointed out that the inspector general’s office in Miami-Dade,
which the Palm Beach office was
modeled after, has its own legal
team, and not having its own legal
team tears down the office’s independence.
The discussion by the county
commission is scheduled for 10
a.m. Tuesday.

History Presentation At LGLA Meeting May 23
The Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association will meet
Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at
Palms West Presbyterian Church
(13689 Okeechobee Blvd.).
The guest speaker will be
Michelle Williams of the Florida
Public Archaeology Network’s
Southeast Region. Her topic will
be “Then & Now: Life Along the
New River.” She will discuss Fort
Lauderdale’s rich past, told
through the stories of those who

lived along the banks of the New
River. Her discussion will include
information about the prehistoric
artifacts, historic objects and photographs that have been found
that reveal how the river shaped
the cultures and communities of
the past and how it continues to
influence the present city.
Come and hear about the dugout canoes, skiffs, tour boats and
paddleboards that floated down
the New River as vehicles for hunt-

ing, transportation and recreation;
find out the age of the oldest dugout canoes discovered in the area
and what Indian tribe made them;
and learn when and why the Seminoles came to the area and made
dugout canoes from cypress logs.
This is an open meeting, but only
paid LGLA members can make
motions or vote on a motion.
For more information, contact
Marge Herzog at (561) 818-9114 or
marge@herzog.ms.

The development team for the
proposed Palm Beach Horse Park,
in coordination with the Wellington staff, hosted representatives
from Auburn University on Wednesday, May 8 for a tour of Wellington’s equestrian community.
The K-Park site in Wellington,
located on the corner of Stribling
Way and State Road 7, is the proposed site for a new, world-class
equestrian complex with a focus
on quarter horses and western
riding.
The Palm Beach Horse Park on
the K-Park property is designed
to supplement the existing equestrian scene, and also provide venues for the use of the broader community. With its spotlight on quar-

ter horses, the park introduces a
new element to Wellington’s
equestrian community. The plans
include an enclosed, climate-controlled stadium, a number of indoor
and outdoor show rings, a supporting commercial district, a hotel, a veterinary instructional facility and a riding school.
The May 8 meeting was the
third time that representatives from
Auburn University and its veterinary school visited Wellington to
discuss the partnership possibilities that the creation of the Palm
Beach Horse Park offers. By partnering with a prominent university and veterinary school such as
Auburn, the Palm Beach Horse
Park could become home to a lead-

ing veterinary instructional facility, serving as a satellite to Auburn’s existing programs.
“The creation of a satellite veterinary instructional facility would
enable us to host industry-leading professors and interning students, offer a program to introduce
local students to veterinary science, and house equine operating
rooms, pre-op and post-op locations, a research and development
department, and even a quarantine facility,” explained Wellington
businessman Jack Van Dell, one
of the leaders of the Palm Beach
Horse Park’s development team.
The Palm Beach Horse Park development team and the group
from Auburn are excited about the

project’s plans and proposed development.
“This was their third time coming down here to Florida to discuss the project,” Van Dell said.
“Being able to partner with a university like Auburn to establish a
satellite veterinary teaching and
R&D facility at our horse park
would be fabulous.”
Van Dell added that it would
enhance the equestrian and nonequestrian benefits to the community and further increase Wellington’s premier position in the
equestrian world.
For information about the Palm
Beach Horse Park, contact Jack
Van Dell at (561) 333-3100 or
palmbeachhorsepark@gmail.com.

Page 8 May 17 - May 23, 2013

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NEWS BRIEFS
Coast Guard
Boating Safety
Class June 22
Wellington has partnered with
the United States Coast Guard
Auxiliary to offer residents a certified boating safety class. The cost
is $35 per person, and there is a
multi-family discount.
The examinations will take place
in the Wellington Community Center (12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) on
Saturday, June 22 from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m., with a break for lunch.
The course is designed for individuals ages 17 and older and will
teach them how to safely operate
a boat, along with local laws and
regulations. Participants will receive a certification at the conclusion of the course.
To register for the boating safety class, call (561) 791-4082. No
payment is necessary to register;
bring it on the day of the class.
For more information on boating and water safety, contact the
Coast Guard Auxiliary at (561) 8187905.

Singles Dance
The Singles Dance Club of the

Palm Beaches has moved its Friday dances to St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Orthodox Church (1317 Florida Mango
Road, West Palm Beach). The club
is for singles 50 and over and married couples. The dances are from
7:30 to 10:30 p.m. with live bands.
Men are required to wear coats
and ties, and women should also
be dressed up. The cost is $10 for
members and $12 for non-members, BYOB and snacks. For more
info., call Susan at (561) 967-0036.

tional music, sports and dancing
are some of the activities and entertainment that will be featured.
Community organizations and
civic groups are invited to participate in this free community event.
The event is also sponsored by
the Palm Beach County Cultural
Council. For more information, or
to register for a display booth, call
event chair Elet Cyris at (561) 7919087, Ernie Garvey at (561) 6765664 or e-mail cafci@pbc.org.

RPB Cultural
Diversity Day

Community Shred
Event May 18

Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) and
the Royal Palm Beach will host the
annual Cultural Diversity Day Celebration on Saturday, May 25 from
1 p.m. to sundown at Veterans Park
(corner of Sparrow Drive and Royal
Palm Beach Blvd.). Show time is 3
p.m.
This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event promises to
be a great opportunity for everyone to celebrate, share and enjoy
diverse food, arts, entertainment
and cultural programs.
There will be exciting performances from local and international artists. Food, artwork, interna-

IberiaBank, in partnership with
Families First of Palm Beach County and the Royal Palm Beach Rotary Club, will host a community
shred party on Saturday, May 18
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the IberiaBank branch located at 119 S. State
Road 7 in Royal Palm Beach.
Residents and small business
owners are invited to dispose of
outdated bank statements, checks,
contracts, junk mail and other documents in a safe and secure manner. Shredding will be provided by
Total Shredding, a company certified by the National Association
for Information Destruction.

In addition to shred services,
there will be plenty of activities for
the family. The Palm Beach County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office will host a crime
prevention booth complete with
McGruff the crime dog, and a child
identification card and finger printing service.
Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue
will showcase fire and rescue vehicles along with fire prevention
safety tips. Loweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Improvement will host a kids workshop
complete with complimentary
building kits for all children in attendance. Loweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will also provide
use of their parking lot for the
shred event.
Live broadcasts and music will
be provided by the WEI Network
and Tony the Tiger DJ. Tasty food
samples will be provided by Chickfil-A from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A $5 voluntary donation will be
collected for each box or bag of
shredded material. All proceeds
will benefit Families First of Palm
Beach County and the Royal Palm
Beach Rotary Club.
For more information about the
shred event, call Des Romm of IberiaBank at (561) 204-2400 or Selena Smith of Families First at (561)
253-1451.

Blanchette To
Present Audition
Workshop
The Burt Reynolds Institute for
Film and Theatre will offer a Monologue Audition Workshop for actors beginning Tuesday evening,
May 28, at BRIFTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tequesta location. This course, taught by actor/director Beverly Blanchette,
will cover all the topics actors need
to know if they are serious about
succeeding at their craft.
Blanchette, a Wellington resident, has had a fulfilling career as
a theater arts educator including
as dean of theatre for the Dreyfoos School of the Arts. She has
directed over 100 plays and musicals and has acted on stage, film
and television. She has been
teaching the â&#x20AC;&#x153;business of the businessâ&#x20AC;? for many years and is an
expert at guiding students in how
to choose the right monologue to
showcase their talents. Her course
will teach students how to selfmarket, get an agent, choose a
photographer, write a resume and
prepare for an audition. This
course will also cover the audition
process for actor training pro-

grams at colleges, universities and
conservatories.
The monologue audition workshop begins on May 28 at the Burt
Reynolds Institute at 304 Tequesta Drive. The six-week course
costs $150 ($125 if paid in full at
the time of registration).
For a limited time, anyone registering for the Monologue Audition
Workshop may also register for the
six-week Teleprompter Proficiency
Course at the reduced rate of $100.
It will be taught by Patty Serrano,
owner of Little Panther Prompter,
who is known in the industry for
her expertise in helping actors get
comfortable in front of the camera.
To register for BRIFT courses,
call Donna Carbone at (561) 7439955 or write info@brift.org. Seating is limited.

PBC Thrift Store
The Palm Beach County Thrift
Store (2455 Vista Parkway, West
Palm Beach) will hold its monthly
auction Saturday, May 18. Store
hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with bidding from 8 to 11 a.m. Bid awards
will be immediately after the close
of bidding. Call (561) 233-2256 or
visit www.pbcgov.com for info.

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May 17 - May 23, 2013 Page 9

NEWS

ROYAL PALM BEACH HONORS MOTHER’S DAY WITH CULTURAL CENTER CONCERT
The Royal Palm Beach Community Concert Band pla yed a Mother’s Day concert Sunday, May 12 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural
Center. The event featured big band sounds, sho w tunes and patriotic songs. Refreshments from Butterf ields Southern Café were
ser ved to a crowd of approximately 300 people. The band’s next concert is set for Tuesday, June 25 at 7 p.m.
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

The RPB Community Concert Band conducted by Ben Skinner.

Dr. Al and Marcia Berwick with Roz Schwartz.

Announcer Sandra Beck on stage.

Sam and Evelyn Pittaro.

Iris and Larry Kamerman.

Linda Feinholtz and Catherine Amico.

WELLINGTON ART SOCIETY PRESENTS SCHOLARSHIPS TO FIVE YOUNG ARTISTS
Wellington Art Society held its annual scholarship presentation on Wednesday, May 8 at the Wellington Community Center. Five local
art students each received $1,000 to further their art studies at the college level. Also at the meeting, photographer Cliff Finley offered
tips on how to correctly photograph artwork. For more info., visit www.wellingtonartsocie ty.org.
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Each of the scholarship
winners brought their art
to show. Here is Lauren
Escalada with her work.

Cliff Finley discussed how to correctly photograph artwork.

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NEWS

SENIORS GROUP CELEBRATES MOTHER’S DAY AT ROYAL PALM CULTURAL CENTER
The Royal Palm Beach Seniors Activities Group hosted a Mother’s Day Celebration on Friday, May 10 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural
Center. At the e vent, longtime resident Ruth Hamlyn was surprised with a cake for her 100th birthday. Appetizers, desserts and
beverages were served. Guests enjoyed dancing and sing-alongs with music provided by Rick Nelson. PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

WHS AND WLMS JAZZ BANDS PRESENT SPRING CONCERTS AT AMPHITHEATER
Wellington High School and Wellington Landings Middle School jazz bands presented their spring concerts at the Wellington Amphitheater on Monday, May 13. The event was free and open to the public with both bands playing various jazz pieces.
PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

The Wellington Landings Middle School jazz
band gets applause from the audience.

(Left) Wellington Landings Middle School band members
Shane Harland and Jacob De Fazio. (Right) Melissa Feurich
sings while the Wellington High School jazz band plays.

Wellington High School jazz band members Paul Herrick,
Mike Leatherman, Christian Jansen and Zach Landress.

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May 17 - May 23, 2013 Page 13

NEWS

CAREER DAY HELPS EMERALD COVE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS SEE THE FUTURE
Emerald Cove Middle School held a career day for seventh-grade students on Thursday, May 9. The day gave students various career
options focused on careers that get you out of the office. Participating organizations included the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office,
Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue, the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League and Sunshine Circus Arts.
PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

WELLINGTON BALLET THEATRE’S SPRING CONCERT A SUCCESS DESPITE RAIN
Rain did not hinder Wellington Ballet Theatre’s spring dance concert, An Evening of George Winston, on Friday and Saturday, May 10
and 11 at the Wellington Amphitheater. Dancers from Wellington Ballet Theatre, Ballet Etoile, CenterStage Dance Company, Momentum Dance Company and Giselle’s Dance Studio performed choreographed routines for the audience of friends, family and residents.
Special guest artists included Tomas Mazuch and Emily Ricca. For more info., visit www.wellingtonballettheatre.org.
PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington Elementary School participated in Earth Day activities
with a campus cleanup Wednesday, May 1. Classes picked up
trash and debris. Gloves and bags were donated by Chris Stewart
and the Wellington Public Works Department.

SCHOOL NEWS

Huntington Kicks Off Summer Reading Program
With summer around the corner,
Huntington Learning Center of
Wellington is kicking off its annual Reading Adventure program for
children in kindergarten through
eighth grade.
To participate, students first
choose books from Huntington’s
pre-selected book lists, which cater to all grade levels and reading
abilities.
Reading Adventure underscores the excitement that a good
book can bring into a child’s life.
Each participating reader receives

a reading “passport” in which he
or she records each book and
writes a journal entry.
The program encourages students to explore new ideas, interests, places and people through
reading. “We believe that summer
is an ideal time to nurture the reading habit because children have
more time to read for pleasure than
they do during the school year,”
said Mary Fisher of the Wellington Huntington Learning Center.
“Our Reading Adventure program
is designed with fun in mind. Our

perform. They include dramatic
interpretation performances by
RPB’s Anthony Nadeau and Delisa
Stephenson, and the duo interpretation team of Alicia Morales and
Theresa Morales; and Wellington
duo interpretation teams of Michael Reynolds and Nick Thibault, and
Dylan Race and Savannah Race.
Dinner (chicken marsala and
cheese ziti, garlic rolls and salad)
will be provided by Mario Brothers.
For more info., contact RPBHS
debate coach Eric Jeraci at eric.
jeraci@palmbeachschools.org or
WHS debate coach Paul Gaba at
paul.gaba@palmbeachschools.org.

experts have identified a variety
of books for children of all ages
and reading abilities — stories
that engage children and get them
excited about books.”
The program runs May through
August. At the end of the program,
Huntington Learning Center of
Wellington will honor participants’
reading achievements.
“Experience has proven to us
time and time again that the more
children read, the better readers
they become and the more they
enjoy it and choose it as an activ-

ity they want to do,” Fisher said.
During the celebration, each
child is recognized and receives a
special award.
“Reading Adventure is one of
our favorite programs at Huntington because it gets children excited about reading,” Fisher said.
To learn more about the program
and the Huntington Learning Center, contact Fisher at (561) 594-1900
or FisherM@hlcmail.com.
For more information about
Huntington Learning Center, visit
www.huntingtonhelps.com.

CAREER DAY AT NEW
HORIZONS ELEMENTARY

SPELLERS COMPETE
AT WELLINGTON
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

New Horizons Elementary School students recently experienced a
day full of career explorations. Students heard from 25 indoor
speakers and 16 outside presenters. Students encountered a
plethora of careers including scientists, healthcare providers, farmers, artists and others represented by local professionals, businesses and agencies. Pictured here are Palm Beach County
Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit Deputy Brandi Tenlen and Arthur the
horse with curious students.

Fourth- and fifth-grade students at Wellington Elementary School
participated in a school-wide spelling bee Wednesday, May 8. Those
who participated were the winners of their classrooms. The busy
bees did well, with the following students coming out on top: first
place, Nathan Kocenko of Nesty Nunez’s fifth-grade class; second
place, Luna Macias of Maurita Sams’ fifth-grade class; and third
place, Gisele Poitras of Eileen Sweeney’s fifth-grade class. Shown
above are participants in the spelling bee.

WHS, RPBHS Debaters
Spring Showcase May 17
On Friday, May 17, students
from Royal Palm Beach High
School and Wellington High
School will perform at the 2013
Spring Showcase Dinner Theatre
at Royal Palm Beach High School
(10600 Okeechobee Blvd.) starting
at 7 p.m.
Tickets cost $10 and proceeds
will help fund the teams’ upcoming national championship tournament competitions. Students who
have qualified for the National
Catholic Forensic League Grand
National Championship in Philadelphia and the National Forensic
League National Speech & Debate
Championship in Birmingham will

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SCHOOL NEWS

Emerald Cove Middle School Nurses
Honored For Saving Student’s Life
At its public meeting Wednesday, May 8, the Health Care District Board of Commissioners recognized school nurses Helene
Schilian and Chelsea LaVeigne for
the lifesaving medical care they
provided to student Nehemiah
Derosier on Thursday, March 7 at
Emerald Cove Middle School in
Wellington.
Around noon that day, the
school nurses were working in the
school health room when they
were alerted by a student that

Derosier had collapsed in a school
hallway and needed their help.
The nurses ran to the 11-yearold’s side, quickly assessed him,
and found him to be totally unresponsive. He had no pulse and
was not breathing. They began
administering emergency care in
unison.
“I positioned myself at the student’s head to manage his airway,
and Nurse Chelsea positioned herself to do compressions,” Schilian said. “We worked together

and a piece of gum flew out of his
mouth. He began breathing and
was able to answer questions before the paramedics arrived on campus.”
After a brief hospitalization,
Derosier was able to return to
school and is doing fine. “Without the nurses, he’d be gone,” said
Wisner Derosier, the boy’s father.
“I thank God for the school nurses. They knew what to do.”
Dr. Ronald J. Wiewora, chief executive officer of the Health Care

(Left) Golden Grove Elementary
students in costume for their
performance of Organwise
Guys on Wednesday, May 8.

its benefits to various body organs.
The costumes, hand-sewn by
Gastesi and student volunteers,
were made from recycled materials such as Capri Sun pouches and
plastic bottles.
Golden Grove’s latest production has already garnered interest
from the Organwise Guys Foundation, which contacted Gastesi
for pictures and additional information.
The show was supported by
several local businesses, including Publix, Pero Farms, R.C. Hatton and Erneston.

Seminole Ridge TV Production Program
Earns State Honors At Orlando Convention
The Seminole Ridge High
School TV production program
was recognized by the Florida
Scholastic Press Association last
month, coming home with several
awards.
“We had a great showing this
year at the Florida Scholastic
Press Association state convention,” said Earle Wright, the
SRHS TV production program
instructor.
The showing in Orlando last
month included four video submissions that earned All-Florida
recognition — one of them named
Best of the Best for the state.
The Hawks’ first-place winners
are as follows:
• Best of the Best and All-Florida Public Service Announcement
(PSA): Above the Influence, David Freund and Chris Waddington.
• All-Florida News Show Open:
Powers Perrotta.

• All-Florida PSA: Sexting: Forwards Last Forever, Andres Duenas and Jordan Meredith.
• All-Florida Short Film: Imaginary Jane, Elizabeth Dimpflmaier,
Corey Huff, Jamie King and Jordan Meredith.
Seminole Ridge students also
competed in several On the Spot
contests, where they were given
only a few hours to complete a
project, from idea to publication.
The winners are as follows:
• First place, PTI (Pardon the
Interruption sports debate): Connor Nugent.
• Second place, Collaborative
Commercial: Summer Bong.
• Second place, Edit to the Beat
(a grueling overnight music video
contest): Nataly Berdecia, Jonah
King and Chris Waddington.
• Third place, News Package:
C.J. Bates, Ricky Bong, Jamie King
and Shannon Kearney.

• Honorable mention, Individual News Anchor: Shannon Kearney.
Hawk Writer Earns NASA Recognition — Seminole Ridge freshman Courtney Muscarella is a
semifinalist in a NASA-hosted
national essay contest. The topic:
“Where should NASA’s next mission to the outer solar system go:
Titan or Europa?”
Muscarella and other Earthspace science students watched
videos about astrobiology and the
engineering challenges of exploring Titan and Europa, then explained which moon to send a
spacecraft to explore and why.
NASA posted the winning essays
at http://icyworlds.jpl.nasa.gov/
contest.
Barrett Breaks to Quarterfinals
— Hawk debater Cassandra Barrett competed at the Florida Forensics League novice state cham-

WRITER DONNA GEPHART
VISITS BINKS FOREST

District of Palm Beach County,
congratulated the nurses on their
quick response. “We are very
proud of our nurses and the lifesaving emergency care they provided to this student,” he said.
“The positive outcome underscores the critical value of the
Health Care District’s School
Health program, which staffs more
than 200 registered nurses in the
county’s public schools who keep
over 170,000 students healthy and
ready to learn.”

Golden Grove Musical Encourages Healthy Eating
Aiming at boosting the Palm
Beach County School District’s
Healthy Foods Program, students
from Golden Grove Elementary
School presented the show Organwise Guys to an auditorium
filled with parents and friends
Wednesday, May 8.
Under the direction of long-time
Music Director Dr. Estibaliz Gastesi, students danced and sang
songs about healthful eating and

May 17 - May 23, 2013 Page 15

pionship tournament recently and
made it to the quarterfinals in the
category of oral interpretation.
“I’m so proud of her, and I only
wish she had started debate sooner,” coach Mierka Drucker said.
Hawks Awarded Blood Drive
Scholarships — Several Hawks
were presented with community
service scholarships from One
Blood at senior awards night,
Thursday, May 16. Each scholarship winner had donated blood a
minimum of four times and written
an essay about the importance of
blood donation.
The school congratulates Shayla Bass, Breanna Beardsley, Elizabeth Dimpflmaier, Jessica Dodd,
Jamie Hernandez, Courtney
McGowan, Ryan Meingasner,
Rosemary Murray, Sarah Probst,
Cristina Richards, Tim Sumell, Jessica Vasco and Christopher Waddington.

Students at Binks Forest Elementary School recently met author
Donna Gephart. Gephart is the author of As If Being 12¾ Isn’t Bad
Enough, My Mother Is Running For President!, How To Survive
Middle School and Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen. Students were enter tained by the many childhood and publishing stories Gephart
shared. Gephart lives in Jupiter with her husband and two sons.
Shown above is Gephart sharing stories with students.

Seniors Graduate
Saturday From
#1 Education Place
Students from #1 Education
Place will celebrate their high
school graduation with a ceremony Saturday, May 18 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in
Wellington.
Following the ceremony, the
school will host a buffet dinner
and pool party for the graduates
and their families, and for the fac-

ulty, students and parents of the
#1 Education Place community.
The school, located in the original Wellington Mall, serves students in first through 12th grade.
It offers an accredited curriculum in an alternative school environment and specializes in meeting the needs of equestrian families.

Author Greg Neri, Talia Fradkin and Stefanie
Pectal of the Palm Beach County School District.

Wellington Student
Wins Award At ‘April
Is For Authors’ Event
An “April is for Authors” event
was held April 27 at Palm Beach
Gardens High School. This literary event for the whole family
brought together a selection of
authors who write for children and
young adults.
The public was treated to panel
discussions and author sessions
by a distinguished group of over
20 authors, which included Paul
William Catanese, the author of
fantasy adventure novels such as
The Thief and the Beanstalk; Alex
Flinn, the author of nine novels,
including Beastly, which was recently made into a movie starring
Vanessa Hudgens; Shayne Leighton, the author of Of Light and

Darkness; Greg Neri, the author
of Yummy, which won the Coretta
Scott King Award; and James Ponti, a screenwriter for Nickelodeon,
Disney, the History Channel, PBS
and the series “Dead City.” The
authors discussed their writing,
motivation and future plans.
Wellington resident Talia Fradkin was honored at the event, receiving an award for her poem,
“The True Account of Reading
and Me.”
“It is wonderful when established authors are willing to
share their knowledge and encourage students,” Fradkin said.
“It was truly a pleasure to meet
them.”

Ryan Meingasner Wins
Scholarship From Duke
Seven high school graduates,
including two international students, have been named winners
of the prestigious University
Scholarships at Duke University.
This year’s recipients include
Ryan Christopher Meingasner of
Loxahatchee, a graduate of Seminole Ridge High School. He is the
son of Monique and Thomas Meingasner.
The University Scholars Program was created in 1998 with a
gift from Duke alumna Melinda
French Gates and her husband Bill
Gates, through the William H.
Gates Foundation. The program is
designed to stimulate an interdis-

ciplinary, intergenerational community of scholars.
The full value of each scholarship is estimated to be more than
$220,000 over four years and covers full tuition, room, board and
mandatory fees. The award is given to financially deserving students who represent a range of
personal and intellectual backgrounds and share an excitement
for original research, collaborative
thinking and innovative scholarship.
For more information about the
incoming class of university scholars, visit the scholarship’s web site
at www.usp.duke.edu.

Esther Delaney, a Dreyfoos
School of the Arts student from
Wellington, has been awarded one
of approximately 625 National Security Language Initiative for
Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarships for
2013-14. The NSLI-Y program is
funded by the U.S. Department of
State and provides merit-based
scholarships for eligible high
school students to learn less commonly taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas
immersion programs. NSLI-Y offers overseas study opportunities
in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean,
Persian, Russian and Turkish.
The NSLI-Y scholarship enables Delaney to study Hindi in

India for the summer. The scholarship covers all program costs for
participants including domestic
and international travel, tuition and
related academic preparation, language testing, educational and
cultural activities focused on language learning, orientations,
meals and accommodations, usually with a host family.
Launched as part of a U.S. government initiative in 2006, NSLI-Y
seeks to increase Americans’ capacity to engage with native
speakers of critical languages by
providing formal instruction and
informal language practice in an
immersion environment. Educational and cultural activities pro-

mote language learning and build
mutual understanding and longlasting relationships.
The goals of the NSLI-Y program include sparking a lifelong
interest in foreign languages and
cultures, and developing a corps
of young Americans with the skills
necessary to advance international dialogue in the private, academic or government sectors.
Through her participation in the
program, Delaney will serve as a
citizen diplomat while developing
the skills necessary to be a leader
in the global community. Applications for 2014-15 NSLI-Y programs
are expected to be available at
www.nsliforyouth.org in the early

Esther Delaney
fall. For information about exchange programs sponsored by
the U.S. Department of State, visit
www.exchanges.state.gov.

Young Singers Names Two New Board Members
Young Singers of the Palm
Beaches recently announced two
new board members, North Palm
Beach resident Kenneth P. Dwyer
and Wellington resident Jody
Young.
Young Singers is Palm Beach
County’s premier youth choir, featuring more than 350 of the area’s
most talented voices spanning
ages 8 through 18. The award-winning, world-class troupe of youth
singers has performed concerts all
over Palm Beach County, as well
as at Lincoln Center in New York
City, with Native Americans in New
Mexico, and at international music festivals in Salzburg and Vienna. The group’s two annual concerts are held in December and
May on the main stage of the
Kravis Center. A multi-racial, multicultural arts education organization based in Palm Beach County,
its enrollment is comprised of singers in grades 3 through 12.

“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary year, we are thrilled to
have Ken and Jody join our board
team,” Chairman Hank Gonzalez
said. “Their commitment to
YSPB’s goals benefits local children. Ken’s experience in finance
comes at an important time in our
organization’s growth. ”
Young is a freelance marketing
professional and project manager
specializing in political election
campaign management, consulting and fundraising. He has more
than 35 years of experience in live
entertainment event promotion
and management of national touring artists. He and his wife Connie
have been active volunteer parents with YSPB over the past seven years. He has served as a board
member on several nonprofit
boards focused on the arts and
youth activities.
Dwyer is a financial analyst with
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and

Jody Young
the father of two YSPB singers. In
addition to volunteering for YSPB
for the past three years, he has also
served on the St. Paul of the Cross
Parish Financial Council.
The group’s next concert,
“Ubuntu,” will be held Sunday,
May 19 at the Kravis Center with
tickets starting at $10. “Ubuntu”

Ken Dwyer
is a South African concept illustrating the connectivity of humanity. The performance will be highlighted by an original song of the
same name.
Auditions for 2013-14 season
are scheduled for June 1. For more
information, call (561) 659-2332 or
visit www.yspb.org.

Palm Beach Central Student Selected As Gates Scholar
Palm Beach Central High School
student Stephanie Berra has been
selected as one of the 1,000 Gates
Millennium Scholars for the GMS
Class of 2013. Her strong leadership, community service and academic achievements contributed
to the selection as a Gates Millennium Scholar.
More than 54,000 students applied, making this year the largest
and most competitive group of
candidates in the program’s history.

Berra joins the community of
Gates Scholars and will now receive the distinction of Leader for
America’s Future. As a Gates Millennium Scholar, she will receive
funds to attend any college or
university that she desires in the
United States. This is a renewable
scholarship, which means that
throughout her undergraduate
career, the organization will review
and determine a new scholarship
amount each year.
If Berra decides to pursue grad-

uate studies in the fields of computer science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health or science, she
will be eligible for GMS fellowship
funding for her master’s and doctoral degree.
The GMS program is much
more than scholarship funds.
Many GMS programs and activities have been designed as resources, to assist recipients in
their continued development as
leaders and to allow them to con-

nect to the Gates Scholar community in a variety of ways. One example among the wide range of
resources is the GMS Freshmen
Leadership Conference designed
to prepare students for a smooth
transition to college and to help
maximize their GMS experience.
Other GMS Leadership Development Programs include Academic Empowerment (ACE) services to support academic success,
graduate school planning and a
mentoring program.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

NEWS

May 17 - May 23, 2013 Page 17

CAFCI HONORS 11 STUDENTS WITH SCHOLARSHIPS AT ROYAL PALM CEREMONY

Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) awarded 11 students scholarships during its annual Student Assistance
Awards presentation “Beyond the Finish Line” on Saturday, May 11 at the Harvin Center in Royal Palm Beach. Scholarships were giving
in various categories to local college-bound high school students of Caribbean descent. This year’s guest speaker, Crestwood Middle
School Principal Dr. Stephanie Nance, gave valuable advice during an inspirational speech.
PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Members of the Parrotheads for
the Palm Beaches, a Jimmy Buffett–themed social organization,
met on Saturday, May 11 at the
Wanderers Club in Wellington to
discuss plans for the upcoming
“PHairway PHlocking Golf Tournament and Dinner Dance Party”
to be held Saturday, June 8.
The tournament will begin with
an 11:30 a.m. check-in and 12:15
p.m. putting contest with a shotgun start at 1 p.m.
The exciting day will include
games and contests on the course
followed by raffles, a silent auction, and an island-style buffet,
trivia contest and dance party featuring live music by Jason Collannino and his island band from 5 to
8 p.m.
The real winners of this fun-

filled day and night will be Adopta-Family of Palm Beach County,
the charitable organization which
helps families in crisis and keeps
them from the risks of homelessness.
The cost to enter the tournament and play at this exclusive
private club is $115 per golfer or
$440 per foursome, which includes
golf and the dinner dance party.
To just attend the dinner dance
party, the cost is $25.
Event sponsorships and advertising opportunities are still available.
For more information, call Dan
Getson at (561) 239-0484 or Ed
Portman at (561) 602-4409. To pay
by credit card, visit www.palm
beachparrotheads.com and use
the PayPal connection.

Used playground equipment
from Wellington has found a new
home in Migori, Kenya.
Last year, Wellington’s Tiger
Shark Cove Park was renovated
and new playground structures
were installed.
Prior to the reconstruction, Wellington was contacted by Alex DeLange, who had read an article
about the upcoming renovation
project and requested that the
used equipment be donated to
KenyaRelief.org.
“American children are blessed
to be able to enjoy state-of-the-art
recreational areas, but in Africa,
our old is new,” DeLange said.
KenyaRelief.org partners with
Kenyans to provide such things

as medical assistance, supplies,
education and vocational training.
Wellington was delighted to
provide the equipment to the children. Parks & Recreation Director
Bruce DeLaney cooperated with
DeLange to arrange for the equipment to be shipped via cargo container and installed near an orphanage in Migori.
“Wellington is proud to be able
to repurpose our equipment to
provide recreational opportunities
for the children in Kenya,”
DeLaney said.
Wellington officials recently received photos of Kenyan children
playing on their “new” equipment
and were very pleased to see the
items going to good use.

Children in Migori, Kenya enjoy the playground
equipment from Wellington. It was formerly part
of the playground at Tiger Shark Cove Park.

Page 18 May 17 - May 23, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

NEWS

Palms West Hospital Partners With Kids Cancer Foundation
As A Member Of The Nonprofit’s New Founders Campaign
The Kids Cancer Foundation
recently started the Founders
Campaign, a program that provides an opportunity for leading
individuals, families, corporations
and foundations to provide sustaining financial support for the
programs of the Kids Cancer Foundation & Cancer Center. Palms
West Hospital has recently be-

come a “Founding Partner” supporter through the program.
The Kids Cancer Foundation
is devoted to assisting the children in the community who are
battling cancer and/or a blood
disorder. This assistance includes help for the whole family
— the parents, the siblings and
the patient.

“When a child is diagnosed
with cancer, it seems to hit the
whole family like a ton of bricks,
and it tends to knock them off of
their feet,” said Michelle O’Boyle,
founder and executive director of
the Kids Cancer Foundation.
“Their carefree childhood days
quickly seem to disappear, and
they are consumed with endless

continued from page 1
We could definitely fill all those
courts up.”
If the facility had to move,
Cheatham said his tennis players
would prefer to see a new site behind the Hampton Inn. “It’s the
closest place to where we are
now,” he explained.
Cheatham said that more courts
would allow for more league and

Budjinski

Benefit
June 8
In RPB

continued from page 1
teacher Robert Bray taught Budjinski, then a gifted student at H.L.
Johnson Elementary School.
“Jason was a fun, lively little kid,”
Bray recalled. “He was very curious, and eager to learn about everything. He’s a great guy, a talented musician, a gifted writer and
a great person. He more than deserves our support.”
Budjinski is an avid musician
and was a fixture in the South Florida music scene for years, playing
under the name Billy Boloby.
But while he used to be plugged
into an amp making music, Budjinski now spends 12 hours each
day plugged in to an IV that feeds
his body much-needed nutrients.
Since he began to see symptoms of the diseases, Budjinski’s
weight dropped to under 100 lbs.,
and he has suffered from itching
and jaundice, along with pain and
fatigue. In April 2012, he was put
on the list for a liver transplant.
“It’s a very volatile disease,” Budjinski said of PSC.
He noted that the disease causes enzymes in his body to fluctuate dramatically, affecting his position on the transplant list. The
Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) system is used to
determine who needs a transplant

Graduations

Class Of
2013

continued from page 1
seven high school students nationwide to be named winners of
Duke’s University Scholars Program. Andrea Olave, this year’s salutatorian at Seminole Ridge, plans
to attend the University of Florida.
Commencement for Seminole
Ridge’s Class of 2013 will be
Thursday, May 23 at 8 a.m. at the
South Florida Fairgrounds Expo
Center.

Biz Hours

Professional
Offices?

continued from page 3
simply says you have to be operating the business. If the lights are
on and you’re in checking your email, you’re effectively operating
your business.”
The exemption was made, Stillings said, because staff didn’t think
professional offices would generate enough noise to be a concern.
“We felt the office uses didn’t
have a negative impact on those
adjacent residential spaces,” he
said.
Coates was concerned the loophole could be exploited.
“When you have a business
that is considered a traditional of-

doctors’ appointments and hospital visits. It is at this point that the
Kids Cancer Foundation steps in
to provide the families with some
much-needed support as they battle this horrible disease. We refer
to our patients as ‘Our Little Warriors.’”
With the support of Commissioner Jess Santamaria, the foundation recently opened a cancer
center in Royal Palm Beach. The
center allows the Kids Cancer
Foundation to have a centralized,
yet “homey” facility for families to
enjoy during the long hours involved in their child’s cancer treatment.
“We are right up the street from
Palms West Hospital,” said Sandy
Erb, a board member and full-time
volunteer. “The parents can drop
off their kids with us while they
take their child with cancer to the
hospital for a treatment or a doctor’s appointment.”
The center offers assorted services, such as tutoring, nutritional education and cooking, art therapy and a place to relax.
Palms West Hospital’s donation
and support of the Founders Campaign denotes the intrinsic value
that the hospital places on the ser-

vices and programs of the Kids
Cancer Foundation.
“As the only pediatric hospital
in the western communities, we
believe that children and their families should have a place to feel
safe and supported during difficult times,” Palms West Hospital
CEO Eric Goldman said. “We
strive to provide that family-friendly environment for them while receiving treatment at Palms West,
but the Kids Cancer Foundation
offers another safe haven for parents and other family members,
which is invaluable.”
It has been proven that optimal
treatment can be achieved when a
patient is viewed and treated as a
“whole picture” and not just concentrating on the medical aspects
of treatment.
“One family might need nutrition counseling to ensure their
child maintains a strong energy
level, and another child might need
some tutoring due to absences
from class due to treatment.”
O’Boyle explained. “We can provide that at the Cancer Center.”
The Kids Cancer Foundation,
due to its proximity to Palms West
Hospital, provides many of the
supplemental services that Palms

West’s young cancer patients
need. But the foundation’s services are available to many other children in South Florida, as well.
“Currently we have more than
100 children utilizing our various
programs and services,” O’Boyle
said. “Unfortunately, our numbers
are up, and we have more patients
than we have ever had. Our outreach into the community is growing and strengthening every
month.”
The Founders Campaign will
enable the Kids Cancer Foundation to build an enduring relationship with many leading businesses and organizations in the community, such as Palms West Hospital. The synergistic nature of that
relationship only strengthens
both organizations.
Founders Campaign donations
will help to ensure that the Kids
Cancer Foundation will be able to
continue offering these supportive services and programs for
years to come.
For information on the Kids
Cancer Foundation & Cancer Center, and/or the Founders Campaign,
visit www.kidscancersf.org, call
O’Boyle at (561) 371-1298 or e-mail
michelleoboyle@bellsouth.net.

The comment elicited jeers from
the audience.
Coates said he thought the Village Walk site was the least favorable of all the options.
“To put the tennis center in the
Village Walk area would make it the
longest drive for our residents who
live in the western part of the community,” he said, garnering applause from residents. “I have
heard from residents of Village
Walk and Olympia that tennis is
not a use they’d like to see over
there.”
Coates said he’d rather see the

tennis center stay put. “I would
vote to keep tennis here,” he said.
“I originally voted to move it because my perception was that
there was a parking problem in this
area. I’ve now become somewhat
persuaded that there is not the
parking problem I had originally
thought.”
Coates also had concerns about
the $5 million price tag to move
the facility.
“That’s a huge amount of money to justify to residents,” he said.
“We’re going to take perfectly
good courts and tear them up, then
we’re going to move them.”
The money could go instead
to fix drainage problems, Coates
said. “That is very much needed
to address recent issues with
flooding,” he said. “Last year, the
village was underwater at least
twice.”
Gerwig asked whether any other municipality had more than 16
clay courts, and Barnes said Wellington was the only one.
“I’m very proud of our tennis
program,” Gerwig said. “It’s fantastic. We have 16 clay courts, and
they get a lot of use.”
She noted that upgrading the
existing courts would cost about
half what moving the facility
would.
“This is our city center,” Gerwig said. “I think tennis should
stay here. I realize it’s tight, but
I’ve never been here and found
that there were no [parking] spaces.”
During public comment, residents and tennis players asked
council members to either keep the
existing site or move it only to the
site behind the Hampton Inn. No

one spoke in favor of moving to
Village Walk.
Resident and tennis player Judith Rosner said that the Hampton Inn site would be the least inconvenient choice.
“It’s the closest in location to
the existing tennis facility,” she
said. “We won’t inconvenience
nearby residences with increased
traffic and brightly-lit nighttime
play.”
Rosner also noted that to get to
the Village Walk site, tennis players would have to drive through
several school zones.
“Traffic will be horrendous,”
she said.
Longtime tennis player Toni Siskind, who lives in Binks Forest,
said that the current tennis facility
is ideally located with beautiful
views.
“It’s good for the mind and the
soul,” she said. “We are used to
the open air and the freeness of
the environment. It is a wonderful
site, and tennis should remain
where it is.”
Though some residents refuted the idea that parking was an
issue, Margolis noted that popular events like the Food Truck Invasion and senior luncheons had
people parking illegally on swales
and other locations.
“We have to move the tennis
center to start the community center,” Margolis said. “I believe the
Village Walk site is the best place.
Once it’s built, it will be the gemstone for the Village of Wellington
and its tennis players.”
Greene made a motion to move
the site to Village Walk, which carried 3-2 with Coates and Gerwig
opposed.

tournament play. “We’re overflowing with leagues,” he said. “We
have to turn people away because
we just don’t have enough
courts.”
Margolis noted that a petition
signed by Wellington Tennis Center players asked for the tennis
center to stay put, but Margolis
said he didn’t feel that was realistic.
“There isn’t enough space for
all the teams and everyone not on
teams,” Margolis said. “I hope that
the people who signed the petition will understand that.”

Willhite noted that many of the
sites up for consideration are already being used for other purposes. For example, the former
Boys & Girls Club site has baseball fields that are in use, while the
Hampton Inn site has multipurpose fields often used by families
or people playing informal sports
games.
“I support relocating the tennis
facility,” Willhite said. “I think in
order to not disrupt any programs,
and for the benefit of everyone,
the Village Walk site is the best
location.”

organ the most. One of the calculations is bilirubin, which measures
how effectively the liver excretes
bile.
“It’s a point system,” Budjinski
said. “Because of my disease, if I
go to the lab right now and then
go to the lab a week from now, I
could have completely different
[bilirubin] readings. The last time I
had bloodwork done, my bilirubin
score was high for average people, but lower than it had been.
That caused my MELD score to
drop.”
Things grew more complicated
when doctors found precancerous
cells in his colon. Budjinski must
now have his colon removed before he can have the transplant. If
he develops colon cancer, he will
be kicked off the list and ineligible
to receive a new liver.
“If you get colon cancer, you
get kicked off,” Budjinski stressed.
“Because I have precancerous
cells, my situation has been completely re-prioritized.”
But before he can even have
surgery, Budjinski must gain
weight. At 5’11”, his weight
dropped to about 95 lbs., which
posed a risk for surgery. Since beginning the IV nutrition, he has
already gained more than 15
pounds. “You have to be physically fit to have surgery,” he said.
“The better shape you’re in, the
better your recovery will be.”
The disease has taken not just
a physical toll, but also put him in
a precarious financial position. “I
haven’t even had surgery yet, and

I’ve already been hospitalized
twice,” Budjinski said.
Because of his physical state,
Budjinski has been unable to perform as a musician, or work the
type of hours he did before.
“Surgery and hospital stays are
one thing, but when you get a
transplant, they put you on a
whole new regimen of medicines,
some being very expensive,” he
said. “Then there’s the loss of
wages from not being able to work;
then I won’t be able to work at all.
I don’t know what to expect.”
Budjinski has worked for the
Town-Crier for almost 10 years
and currently serves as community editor. A dedicated writer and
editor, he is the tireless force behind the newspaper’s e-mail system, helping to put the spotlight
on local news.
New Horizons Elementary
School Guidance Counselor Lynne
Bray has known the Budjinski family for many years and seen firsthand the positive impact Budjinski has had on the community.
“They’re a wonderful, sweet
family,” she said. “Jason has done
so much for the community by promoting our schools and community events, and I appreciate his
faithfulness. The least we can do
as a community is to rally around
him and help him. He has done so
much for so many; now it’s time
for us to give back to him.”
Donations will be accepted at
the fundraiser, and you can also
donate online by visiting www.
gofundme.com/2c4qhk.

Budjinski said that the support
from the community, friends and
family has been invaluable to help
him trudge on.
“For all the pain and daily frustrations I suffer, it could be so much
worse,” he said. “I could be going
through it alone. Knowing everyone is supporting me makes it
much more manageable. It gives
me something to try to be strong
for. Any time I start to feel upset or
down on myself, I think of everyone pulling for me. It gives me the
extra motivation I need.”
The June 8 fundraiser will take
place at the Mar Bar Grille at the
Madison Green Golf Club (2001
Crestwood Blvd. North, Royal
Palm Beach). Call (863) 484-0110
to RSVP.

With 675 students set to walk
across the stage, Palm Beach Central High School has one of the
largest graduating classes the
western communities will see this
year. Donna Baxter, PBCHS student activities director, applauded
the philanthropic efforts of the
school’s seniors as Palm Beach
Central celebrates its 10-year anniversary.
“What’s significant about this
class is their commitment to philanthropy,” Baxter said. “These
seniors raised over $40,000 for St.
Baldrick’s pediatric cancer research, over $20,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network and over

$15,000 to help build a school for
Darfur refugees in Africa.”
In addition, PBCHS seniors donated in excess of 700 pints of
blood over the course of the 201213 year.
Palm Beach Central’s valedictorian Dimitri Alexis will attend the
University of Miami, while salutatorian Alexis McClanahan will attend the University of Florida.
The PBCHS commencement
will take place at the South Florida
Fairgrounds Expo Center on
Thursday, May 23 at noon.
Robert Grossman, guidance
counselor for the senior class at
Royal Palm Beach High School,

said that this year’s graduates are
truly a multitalented bunch.
“They’re a diverse, dynamic and
bright group,” he said.
The school’s valedictorian is
Hannah Locop, who will attend the
University of Florida, while salutatorian Christina Lam will attend
the University of Central Florida.
The RPBHS Class of 2013 saw
many academic and extracurricular honors, such as the National
Achievement Award, the George
Snow Scholarship and Pathfinder
scholarships. The school will graduate 500 seniors Friday, May 24 at
8 a.m., also at the South Florida
Fairgrounds Expo Center.

fice use, like a doctor, lawyer or
accountant, I agree with you,” he
said. “But this is an area that is
ripe for potential exploitation.”
If clients are allowed to visit the
offices, Coates said he felt there
could be a noise concern.
“There is the potential for it to
be a problem if you have a high
intensity of clients coming to the
office in the middle of the night,”
he said.
Coates didn’t believe professional business offices should be
treated any differently.
“I’m all for protecting the professional who wants to be in the
office working all night long,” he
said. “But I don’t see any reason
that an office should be protected
any more than a restaurant or drugstore. You could have increased
activity at night with noise from

people driving to and from the
place of business.”
Councilwoman Anne Gerwig
said that council members had assured several business owners on
first reading that professional office space wouldn’t be affected.
“I’m not comfortable with us [removing the exemption] without
letting them have a chance to
speak,” she said. “You can see how
there would be circumstances that
there would be someone there besides yourself, and you may be
doing more than checking your email.”
She made a motion to table the
item until the next meeting. The
motion was seconded by Coates,
but failed 3-2.
Coates asked Stillings whether
professional business offices within 300 feet of homes could operate

24 hours under the current code,
and Stillings said they could not.
Willhite made a motion to tweak
the ordinance to limit outdoor activity to 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., to remove the exemption for professional office space and to require
businesses looking to operate beyond 2 a.m. to come before the
council.
Councilman John Greene seconded, and the motion passed 3-2
with Coates and Gerwig opposed.
Gerwig requested that all professional business offices within
300 feet of homes be notified that
they must now get a permit to operate past midnight.
“I want them to know so they
can come in during the grace period,” she said.
Village Manager Paul Schofield
said staff would send out notices.

Jason Budjinski shows off
one of the IV nutrient packs.
PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER

Hurricanes

New Media,
Phone App

continued from page 1
next few years, we plan to add other
things such as pharmacies,”
Johnson said.
The site also has a damage reporting tool for homes or businesses, which is used for rapid
assessment by the EOC to get
whatever assistance is needed to
an area.
Johnson said about 3,000 people have downloaded the application and some actually used it during Tropical Storm Isaac.
Commissioner Priscilla Taylor
asked what is available for people
who do not have cell phones or
whose cell phone is not working,
and Johnson said the web application is a supplement to services
that have always been available.
He said damage assessment teams
will still be out establishing damage assessment grids.
“This program gets our community involved, but it’s not mandatory, and it’s not a means of requesting any assistance,”
Johnson said. “It’s not meant to
be a means of damage reporting.”
Bonvento said the county will
continue to work closely with the
media as it has in the past. “The
critical information will be dissem-

Blotter
continued from page 6
eral stores across Palm Beach
County, including two at the Walmart Supercenter on Belvedere
Road. The suspects made approximately $22,770 in total fraudulent
charges. According to the report,
the victim said that the cardholder
was still in possession of the credit
card that had been used, and that
all business credit cards had been
canceled to prevent further loss.
There were no suspects at the time
of the report.
MAY 14 — A resident of Tan-

inated to the media, via radio, TV,”
he said. “This is just another tool
that will be available to us to disseminate that information, but we
will make every effort and use every resource available.”
Bonvento stressed that emergency preparation and response
are a team effort with other organizations such as the Red Cross but
said that the new application, developed by a county staff member
in-house, is probably the only one
of its kind currently. More information about the application can
be found at www.pbcgov.com/
dem.
Rob Levine, regional executive
director of the Red Cross, said his
organization works closely with
the county to assure that families
have shelter, food and psychological help after a disaster. Its most
common response is for fire victims.
“We are part of a national disaster response framework, and we
are a vital part of the county framework, so we have a team that
works with emergency management each and every day, with the
school board to make sure all our
shelters are prepared, and after the
storm when life returns to normal
for so many, but for some it
doesn’t,” he said. “We work with
many faith-based and community
organizations so we can help people rebuild their lives.”
gerine Blvd. contacted the PBSO’s Acreage/Loxahatchee substation Tuesday morning to report a theft. According to a PBSO
report, sometime between 5 and
6 a.m. someone entered the victim’s open garage and removed
one barbell and two 25-pound
plates. The victim said that the
water pump had also been tampered with, causing approximately $300 in damage. The stolen
items were valued at approximately $150. At the time of the report,
there were no suspects or witnesses.

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May 17 - May 23, 2013

Page 19

Page 20 May 17 - May 23, 2013

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The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

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Pure Thoughts Rescues Nurse Mare Foals

The cruel practice of using nurse mares produces unwanted
foals. Many of these foals die, but not all. Rescuers can pay
anywhere from $200 to $400 apiece for the foals, which is
what Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves decided to do. Ellen Rosenberg’s Column, Page 23

May 17 - May 23, 2013

Page 21

Students Score Scholarships Through IPC

For successfully running the International Polo Club’s popular Kids Fun Zone during the 16-week polo season, two
students from Palm Beach Atlantic University were awarded
scholarships to travel to Brazil for a 10-day educational
business trip this month. Page 35

Shopping
Spree
A TOWN-CRIER PUBLICATION

INSIDE

Business
Wellington’s Idlewild Specializes
In Unique Wood Furnishings

Idlewild Furnishing is a fine furniture store that offers
custom-made furniture, antique pieces and plantation-style décor for an upscale clientele. Located on
South Shore Blvd. in Wellington, owner John Grimes
provides furnishings for many of the area’s country
clubs, hotels, equestrian estates and homes.
Page 25

Sports
SRHS Flag Football Wins State Title

For the second consecutive year, the Seminole Ridge
High School flag football team has captured the state
championship title. Coming off an undefeated season, the Lady Hawks defeated Mandarin High School
27-6 in Kissimmee on Saturday, May 4 to take home
the championship trophy. Page 35

Pure Thoughts Rescues Nurse Mare Foals From Kentucky
Some practices are so cruel that you shake
your head in bewilderment and wonder, who
thinks of such things?
Apparently enough people that the practice of producing nurse mare foals is fairly
common. Here’s how it works.
Let’s say you own an expensive, well-bred
mare, either a show horse or, more commonly,
a Thoroughbred race horse you’d like to
breed. If she’s a show horse, you’d like to
continue competing as soon as possible,
which won’t happen if the mare is nursing a
foal for the next three to six months. The answer: find another mare who has recently given birth and therefore lactating, and “graft”
the expensive foal onto that mare so she can
raise it. But mares only produce enough milk
to raise one foal at a time. So, what happens to
the nurse mare’s own foal?
Then there’s the horse racing industry.
Once their racing days are over, typically at
the young age of three to five, Thoroughbreds who’ve raced well or come from exceptional bloodlines exist only to produce more
Thoroughbreds. Unlike most other registries,
the Jockey Club insists that each Thoroughbred be conceived through live cover: mare
and stallion meet in the flesh; no artificial insemination.
After a mare gives birth, she needs to travel
Get updates all week long... follow Ellen
Rosenberg on Twitter at twitter.com/
HorseTalkFL or stop by the Tales from the
Trails page on Facebook and click “like.”

Tales From
The Trails
By Ellen
Rosenberg
to the stallion’s farm to be rebred during the
foal heat, as soon as a week to ten days after
dropping her foal. Shipping a mare with a
young foal is traumatic to the foal, the insurance costs prohibitive. The answer: “graft”
that foal onto another mare that has recently
given birth. Again, there’s that question. What
happens to the nurse mare’s foal?
What happens is these less-desirable foals
are unwanted byproducts of this cold-blooded custom. According to Greenhorn Horse
Facts, some are killed immediately, some left
to starve to death. However, their hides can
be sold as “pony skin” in the fashion and
textile industry, used to make shoes, purses
and other high-end leather products. Some
countries consider their meat a delicacy.
Not all breeders use nurse mares, nor do
they all kill the extra foals. Rescuers can pay
anywhere from $200 to $400 apiece for the
foals, which is what Pure Thoughts Horse
Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves decided to do.
“We contracted with a farmer in Kentucky
and agreed to buy all his nurse mare foals this
year,” co-owner Jennifer Swanson said.

Charles Adkins with Lily, his rescued nurse mare foal.
Simply agreeing to take all the foals was
“We needed a lot of volunteers, any day
only the beginning. These babies had to be and time, with or without prior horse experihand-fed milk formula every three hours ence,” Swanson said. “These foals need to
around the clock. This is not a job for the faint be socialized. In addition to feeding, they need
of heart nor for anyone who enjoys sleeping. to get used to leading, grooming, all sorts of
The original group of 16 foals arrived in March things.”
after spending a stabilizing week in North
The foals, of course, are incredibly cute.
Carolina.
See ROSENBERG, page 24

Page 24 May 17 - May 23, 2013

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The Town-Crier

FEATURES

Taking Care Of A Baby Is Tough... And More So With A Cold!
I’m better now, but I had a raging cold last
week. Having any cold is miserable when
you’re by yourself, but when you are responsible for the daytime care of an 8-month-old,
you need to be “on point.”
Because from the time Skippy wakes up until
the time he goes to bed, he wants to play. And
forget what you see in the magazine ads — an
adorable toddler snuggling cozily in his grandma’s lap while she serenely turns the pages of
a book. No. Skippy is adorable — but in a
Frenetic Hummingbird sort of way. In a Whirling Dervish sort of way. In a High-Speed
Blender sort of way. He wants to go, go, go
and never stop. Unfortunately, he is fairly
short and has not mastered the ancient art of
walking, so this means you have to hold both
his hands and help him. He loves this.
Get your Sonic Boomer humor every day!
Follow Deborah Welky on Twitter at
twitter.com/TheSonicBoomer or stop by “The
Sonic Boomer” page on Facebook.

Deborah
Welky is

The Sonic
BOOMER
If it were up to Skippy, you would spend
your day hunched over him like a human crane
while he propelled you this way and that by
your thumbs. When you have unhappy sinuses, this is a torture track, but you do it
because you want him to learn.
There is also the scooter option. Baby scooters completely encircle the baby, provide a
padded seat for resting (ha!) and have four
wheels that go in any direction the baby points
them. The pediatrician recommends no more
than 20 minutes a day in this contraption because she prefers that the baby spends most

of his time crawling. “Crawling is important
for his hip development,” she said.
We started the day crawling, he in the lead
of course, but I caved when he kept reaching
under the washer, pulling out fuzz and eating
it. I weighed the lack of proper hip development against ingesting an errant paperclip and
plopped him into the scooter.
Lest you think this bought my ailing self
some much-needed couch time, let me correct
you. The preferred activity among babies in
scooters is to charge wildly up behind the
household’s 13-year-old, deaf dog and scare
the crap out of him by yanking his tail. Babies
will do this despite all warnings and cautions
until you finally get up and put the poor dog
outside. This will last until the dog, whose
age in human years is 91, forgets why he is
outside and starts barking to be let in. Back
up from the couch.
The baby itself had a milder version of this
very same cold for a day and a half the week
before, and I begin to question where he got

it. The floor is clean (except under the washer), the rugs are routinely vacuumed (due to
the excessive shedding of the 91-year-old), all
his bottles and eating utensils are boiled after
use, and he is constantly being put into fresh,
clean clothing.
Then I remember. His mother took him to a
baby sign language class where there were
(the very thought of it makes me shiver) other
babies. And one of these babies was sick, and
all of these babies shared the communal toys
thoughtfully provided by the session leader
(probably in a futile effort to teach the sign for
“disease”). So Skippy came home, spent three
days incubating and then (I remember this
well) gave me his first kiss ever.
As awkward as a preteen kisser but with
none of the shyness, he opened his mouth as
wide as it would go, lunged toward my yawn
and slopped his baby spit into my mouth. Then
he sat back proudly and smiled at me.
So you can see how this whole illness is
worth it.

‘Gatsby’ Gets The Look Right, But Not The Author’s Subtlety
Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby is a
hodgepodge film that works very well on some
levels and terribly on others. To understand
it, you must realize that this is not F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s version of the novel. Much of the
book was written from inside the characters’
heads. This movie is all about the exteriors. It
works because in many ways, the novel itself
is all about surface appearances vs. morality.
But there was subtlety in the book that the
movie lacks.
The story is narrated by Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), a bond trader from the Midwest who lives in the nouveau riche Long
Island community of West Egg, next to the
home of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio),
known for shady business deals and wild parties. He is invited to a party at Gatsby’s home
and learns that the man longs for Carraway’s
cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan), his first love,
who is married to aristocrat Tom Buchanan
(Joel Edgerton) and makes her home in East
Egg, a far more prestigious area. Since most of
us who have finished high school English
know that in the end Gatsby sacrifices himself
for Daisy, the plot can remain where it is since
the movie stays pretty close to the story.

Rosenberg

Nurse Mare Foals
continued from page 23
Almost irresistible. Charles Adkins couldn’t
resist.
“I have two miniature horses and two miniature donkeys,” Adkins said. “One of my
friends told me about the nurse mare foals. I
came out to see them one Saturday. They were
really, really cute. I talked with Jennifer and
asked which one would be best for me. She
showed me Lily, who’s small, very calm and
gentle, eager to please. I brought her home on
April 19. She’s doing fine and likes hanging
out with the mini donkeys. My friend is going
to help me work with her and train her. Maybe
I’ll ride her one day. Right now, I just enjoy
having her around.”
Zina Browning is one of Pure Thoughts’
devoted volunteers. She works with the foals

The problem is that the movie, like the book,
tries to delineate between the images people
create and the real world. Nothing is as it seems.
Gatsby, of course, is not an aristocrat, but a
kid from the Midwest who attempts to present
a rich, noblesse oblige façade that is easily
pierced by all the blue bloods. Essentially, he
is a tool for their entertainment. Daisy is hardly a great catch; although beautiful, she has
the intelligence and personality of your average Kardashian. She is not much more than a
showpiece for her husband, who has at least
one mistress. Tom, although from a wealthy
family, is essentially a thug, more interested in
his possession of Daisy than loving her. Carraway, particularly as presented in this movie,
is a weak sycophant.

Luhrmann recaptures the look of the era,
the early 1920s, brilliantly. Ironically, since the
parties and a lot of the action is only superficial, the use of 3-D becomes somewhat overwhelming. You can feel as though you are
actually at the parties, even though very little
of importance happens there. Unfortunately,
his choice of music, almost all of it modern,
distances us from the time. Jay-Z and other
modern musicians may be popular now, but
he probably would have done better to let
them do cover versions of the music of the
time. It would have enhanced reality. Luhrmann is famous for using modern music, but it
worked far better in Moulin Rouge and Romeo
+ Juliet than in this one.
The cast is uniformly very good. DiCaprio
is one of our era’s best actors and manages to
capture many of the aspects of Gatsby. It is a
star turn. Mulligan, a very talented Brit, handles the accent and personal vacuity of Daisy. Maguire is good as Carraway despite a
bad characterization by the script. Edgerton
was good as an appropriate villain. I particularly liked Elizabeth Debicki as the enigmatic
Jordan Baker, and Jason Clarke was especially effective as George Wilson.

Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“I’ve become the foal herd mama.,” she said.
“The babies, some of whom arrived at only a
week old, stay with us four to eight weeks.
Before they can go to their new homes, they
have to be eating grain and hay, in addition to
milk formula a couple of times a day.
When Browning first started working with
them, it was overwhelming. “I didn’t know
what to expect,” she said. “They melt your
heart. I was fascinated to see their personalities so clearly defined even at such a young
age. On the whole, they’re very trusting and
easy to work with. I think they’ll do fine with
their new owners. Working with them has been
amazing.”
Kristin Welker of West Palm Beach is another new owner.
“I adopted Fiona in mid-April,” she said.
“My dog recently passed, and I came out to
Pure Thoughts to look around. The foals are

so cute and sweet. Fiona came up and nuzzled me. She picked me. I’m going to keep her
here, work with her, and eventually ride her.
And I’m going to volunteer here, too.”
Isabella Harding of Delray Beach also volunteers. She has been helping out for a year,
boards her two horses at Pure Thoughts, and
also adopted a foal.
“I saw the foals when they arrived,” she
said. “I adopted the first one, Scarlet. Everyone says she’s like a Wal-Mart greeter; she’s
that friendly. She’s the sweetest one. She follows me and plays with me. I just love her.”
Almost all of the original group of 16 have
found their new homes. “We have ten more
arriving in May,” Pure Thoughts co-owner
Brad Gaver said. “We know that we can’t save
every nurse mare foal. We did this to save
these few, and also to create awareness of
this horrible practice. Rescuing a few is just a
Band-Aid on the industry. Vets can induce

‘I’ On
CULTURE
By Leonard
Wechsler

But the movie seemed empty; the characters went through their lines well, the costumes and look of the movie were great, but
somehow things just did not come together.
Fitzgerald wanted a commentary on class warfare, with a rather harsh look at the pretentiousness of the formerly poor. But times have
changed, and when the real stars of a film are
mostly playing the “little guys,” things turn
on their ear.
Fitzgerald originally thought of Gatsby as a
kind of tragic clown, the small-town war veteran who gets rich too quickly, changes his
name, and is put down by society for his presumptuousness. But when the really big star
at the center of the film plays the part, Daisy’s
willingness to be with him is far more understandable. That has been a problem in all the
movies made of the story; I believe this is the
fourth. We wind up rooting so hard for the
hero that it tilts the essential points offered by
Fitzgerald. We like the nouveau riche, partly,
because many of us fit that category.
It is nicely done but hardly a great film, a
nice break from the superhero movies coming
out. But you might be disappointed if you
expect something really special.

Kristin Welker with Fiona.
lactation in non-pregnant mares. I’d like to
see the practice of using nurse mares end.”
For more information, call (561) 951-2108 or
visit www.purethoughtshorserescue.org.

The Town-Crier

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BUSINESS NEWS

Idlewild Furnishing designer Ali Solimine and owner John Grimes in the showroom.
PHOTO BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Idlewild Specializes In
Unique Wood Furnishings
By Jessica Gregoire
Town-Crier Staff Report
Idlewild Furnishing is a fine furniture store
that offers custom-made furniture, antique
pieces and plantation-style décor for an upscale clientele.
Located on South Shore Blvd. in Wellington, Idlewild provides furnishings for many
of the area’s country clubs, hotels, equestrian
estates and homes.
As an equestrian with years of experience
in industrial design, owner John Grimes decided to combine his two worlds, opening
Idlewild in 1999. “I knew where all the finest
teak came from in the Far East,” Grimes said.
“I saw that there was a big need for fine furniture in this area because there wasn’t really
much to choose from.”
For Grimes, it was only fitting he should
open up a furniture store in Wellington. “With
my expertise, it was a natural progression,”
Grimes said. “We are able to offer custommade furniture designed and crafted by us,
and antiques that you can’t find anywhere
else in the world.”
With assistance from interior designer Ali
Solimine, Idlewild provides customizable furniture based on what the client wants. Clients
are able to view the showroom with custom
furniture on display or create something totally different and unique to their style.
“We have clientele who come in here just
looking for one or two specific pieces,”
Solimine said. “Then we have clients who
come in and want their whole house decorated.”
What sets Idlewild’s furniture apart is its
many distinctive qualities. A large percentage
of Idlewild’s rustically designed pieces are
made from reused teak wood from Southeast
Asia. “It’s really one-of-a-kind stuff that’s
beautifully handcrafted,” Solimine said. “It’s

all tropical hardwood, which is conducive to
the South Florida environment.”
Every piece of furniture that isn’t antique,
is customizable. “If you like a table in the showroom, but you want it a little shorter or thinner,
we are able to design it to your liking,” Solimine
said. “We can even recreate pieces that are
antique.”
The reused teak wood comes from old structures, which Grimes salvages and repurposes. “The furniture is made from recycled old
wood from typical old beams that come from
old structures,” he explained.
Many of the structures are from as far back
as colonial times, and Grimes knows much of
the history behind each piece of wood he obtains. “This piece here,” Grimes said as he
pointed to a long wooden dining table, “comes
from the original cut of teak tree, which would
have been mammoth trees that were growing
in the ground before Columbus’ ships were
built. That’s how old this 500-year-old lumber
is.”
When Grimes cuts and makes the old wood
into new furniture, it still retains its original
character and charm. “This is what many people like about our furniture,” he said. “When
they come here, they know what they are getting, and that it’s something special and not
something they would buy in a typical furniture store.”
Idlewild wants to continue to provide sustainable wood in the community and remain a
staple for fine furnishings that last forever.
“Since our furniture is so durable,” Grimes
said, “our clients are able to pass it on from
generation to generation and it becomes a family heirloom.”
Idlewild Furnishing is located at 13501 South
Shore Blvd., Suite 102, Wellington. For more
info., visit www.idlewildstables.com or call
(561) 793-1970.

The Florida Xi Xi Tau chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority recently presented a check for
$100 to Cora L. Brown, director of development of the Children’s Home Society. Florida
Xi Xi Tau has chosen the Children’s Home Society as one of their ongoing projects and
plans to continue to help restock the reward items that are made available to the
children for good behavior and achievements. Pictured above are (L-R) Treasurer Helen
Martinson, Service Chairman Jill Pando, Brown and Chapter President Mary Ann Hedrick.

Rocky’s Ace Hardware, a family-owned
business with 33 neighborhood-based stores,
is proud to announce that the chain has been
selected to receive the Retailer of the Year
Award. The award recognizes a home improvement retail company for its operational
success, as well as commitment to best practices and the values of quality and service.
Rocky’s Ace Hardware has been in continuous operation under the same family ownership since 1926, when the first store opened
in Springfield, Mass. “We are all very proud
of this phenomenal achievement,” CEO Rocco Falcone said. “This award reflects a solid
commitment to excellence from every individual in our organization. It is the culmination of
their efforts that made this accomplishment
possible.”
This is the first time the chain has won the
award. “Home Channel News has for a long
time admired Rocky’sAce Hardware,” said Ken
Clark, editor of Home Channel News. “It’s a
family business with a great history, an eye
on the future and an ability to grow.”
In November 2012, the company expanded
its store count and entered a new market, with
its opening of a 12,500-square-foot store in
Fairhaven, Mass. “Our strengths include
paint, outdoor power, pet, and lawn and garden,” Falcone said. “Our extensive selection
along with friendly, expert advice helps us
stand out from the rest.”

The company launched their “Re-Discover
Rocky’s” campaign in 2012 to successfully
call out their improved product assortment in
areas of paint, tools, lawn care, outdoor power equipment, pet, cleaning supplies, grills and
outdoor living, in addition to traditional hardware departments.
The Second Annual Pet Food Drive, held
late in 2012, also served to reinforce its commitment to the local community. “The extraordinary efforts of our store members in rallying
behind this worthy cause, along the outstanding generosity of our customers, resulted in
an unprecedented overall donation to local,
community based shelters and humane societies,” said Geoffrey Webb, director of marketing and advertising.
The program resulted in more than 6,500
pounds of pet food being donated.
The Retailer of the Year Award was presented during the 2013 National Hardware
Show held in Las Vegas May 7-9. The show is
recognized as the prime home improvement
event of its kind, featuring more than 600 exhibitors and attracting over 27,000 industry
professionals.
Rocky’s Ace Hardware, based in Springfield, Mass., operates 33 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island and Florida. The firm has been in operation since the first store opened in Springfield in 1926. For info., visit www.rockys.com.

The Town-Crier

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May 17 - May 23, 2013

Page 27

BUSINESS NEWS

Wellington Chamber Welcomes Tresses Color Bar Salon
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting
ceremony for Tresses Color Bar Salon, located at 13873 Wellington
Trace.
Brianne Purnell is the resident expert in hair cutting, coloring, extensions and styling. She operates her
salon like those found in New York
City, Boston or Los Angeles with
“mixologists” creating hair color at
a festive color bar for all to see.
Purnell was born in Reading, Pa.,
and moved to Wellington at a

young age. Her grandfather lived
and played polo in Wellington, so
moving here was an easy step for
the family. She graduated from Wellington High School.
After high school, Purnell attended Palm Beach Community College
and earned an associate’s degree
before studying cosmetology at
New England Tech. For eight years,
she worked at a spa/salon in Wellington doing coloring, cutting, extending and styling. During that
time, she continued her education

by attending courses in different cities and earned a degree from Redkin. She then attended many programs to become an educator for
L’Oreal. At L’Oreal, Purnell learned
all types of styling including avantgarde runway type styles. Eventually, she began to teach classes at
the Soho Academy in N.Y., which
required her to travel every two
weeks for L’Oreal.
While working with other Wellington area salons, Purnell kept
thinking about her trips to New York
and the vibe that the hair salons had
up there. Since there were no similar
type shops here, she decided to

open her own shop with that Soho
NY feel. She launched her new business last August.
“That’s why I created the color
bar — mainly because it’s just totally different,” Purnell said. “Ours is
more of a laid-back atmosphere. You
can see everything that’s going on.
We ‘mixologists’ showcase the mixing and the making of color. Usually
it’s all hidden in a back room and
you can’t see anything. Seeing us
mixing kind of brings the client into
our world. I am a Great Lengths certified stylist, and I do cold fusion,
which is a new method of bonding.
It uses ultrasonic vibration waves

to extend hair so you don’t actually
have to use heat. It’s much better
for the hair. The hair actually stays
in longer.”
Tresses Color Bar Salon helps in
the community. They work with JustWorld International to raise money
by providing hair styling for fashion shows.
For more information about
Tresses Color Bar Salon, call (561)
290-2457.
For more information about businesses in the Wellington area, call
(561) 792-6525 or visit the Wellington Chamber of Commerce web site
at www.wellingtonchamber.com.

Francisco J. Gonzalez of the Wellington law firm of Gonzalez & Shenkman P.L. was installed as chairman
of the Central Palm Beach County
Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on April 26.
Gonzalez will lead the chamber
organization for the 2013-14 fiscal
year. For the past four years, Gonzalez served on the chamber’s board
as legal counsel and chair-elect. He
also is a trustee member of the chamber and serves as the vice chair of
the chamber’s Economic Development Task Force.

The Central Palm Beach County
Chamber of Commerce is one of the
largest business groups in the county, representing 1,200 member businesses in 15 municipalities.
Gonzalez concentrates his practice in real estate and business transactions. He received his bachelor’s
degree with honors from the University of Florida and his juris doctor degree from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School
of Law in Washington, D.C. He was
formerly with Steel Hector & Davis
LLP and Akerman Senterfitt, and

also served as in-house counsel to
a billion dollar corporation.
In addition to assisting clients
with real estate and business
transactions, Gonzalez & Shenkman P.L. provides estate planning
and probate administration services. The firm is committed to providing quality legal representation
in the areas of real estate, business
transactional and estate planning
law. The firm combines large-firm
experience and expertise with
small-firm responsiveness and accessibility.

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Camp Cambridge, serving age two through second grade, combines academic excellence,
summertime fun and a safe environment to create an unforgettable summer experience.
Theme-based curriculum and in-house field trips complement the concepts explored by all.
There are nine weeks of camp offered at Cambridge Schools, located at 1920 Royal Fern Drive
in Wellington. Activities include swimming, art, math, computers, sports, science and cooking. A certified swim instructor provides instruction to children ages three and up, Mommy &
Me classes, private/group lessons and team swim programs. Bilingual classes, kindergarten
readiness and enrichment classes are available as well. For more information, visit
www.cambridgepreschools.com .
Camp Giddy-Up at Ravenwood Riding Academy has been located in Wellington for 23 years.
Licensed and insured, with all safety equipment provided, they are located on a beautiful, safe
and clean farm with plenty of shade. Ravenwood is now accepting 12 students per session,
ages 6-14, for Camp Giddy-Up. Camp hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Campers learn safety, horse care and grooming, with riding lessons daily, as well as scheduled
visits with a blacksmith, horse vet and equine dentist. Sibling discounts or multi-session
discounts are available. Camp Giddy-Up has a full staff and a hands-on director. Register today
by calling (561) 793-4109 or visit www.ravenwoodridingacademy.com. Hurry, sessions f ill up
quickly!
Dance Theatre Summer Dance Camp is available for ages 4 to 7 and 8 to 11. Three sessions
are offered June 10-28, July 1-19 and July 22 - Aug. 9. The camp offers ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical,
flexibility, hip-hop, acro, musical theatre, drama, modeling, ballroom, ar ts & crafts and more!
As well, Dance Theater offers intensive for intermediate and advanced dancers. A $100
deposit is required to hold space. Space is limited, so reserve today. The cost is $450 per
session (3 weeks) from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with aftercare available
until 6 p.m. for as little as $15 per day. Weekly rates and daily rates are available as well, as
are multiple-child and multiple-session discounts. Dance Theater is located at 10620 W.
Forest Hill Blvd, Suite 30 (between Pei Wei and Fresh Market). Call (561) 784-4401 for info.
Join the Summer Junior Golf Camp at Okeeheelee Golf Course, Park Ridge Golf Course and
John Prince Golf Learning Center through the Junior Golf Foundation of America Golf Camp.
New or seasoned golfers will de velop skills while having a blast doing so. The JGFA provides
junior golfers with the tools to enjoy the game for a lifetime. Professional PGA/LPGA golf
instructors, trained coaches and staff are carefully picked for their love of junior golf, teaching abilities and inspirational approach. The pr ogram emphasizes safety, fun, spor tsmanship
and personal attention. Camps run June 10 through Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Monday
through Friday, with extended camp available until 3 p.m. at Okeeheelee. Written evaluation
repor ts, prizes/trophies, of ficial JGFA items, a certificate of completion and a pizza party on
the last day is included. Also available: camps for 3-5 year olds, camps for advance/tournament golfers, Junior Golf tournaments, weekly programs and leagues, walk-up clinics and
more. Visit www.JGFA.org or call (561) 964-GOLF for more information.
The Lab/High Touch High Tech brings science t o life with hands-on experiments provided by
High Touch High Tech, the leader in science education for the last 18 years. Each day will be
a new adventure, from interacting with real lab critters to launching rockets and panning for
gems. Conveniently located off State Road 7 and Lantana Road, this unique facility offers
affordable pricing, experiments with lots of cool take-homes, arts and crafts, physical activities and more. The Lab taps into children’s natural curiosity and provides them with safe and
fun activities that help them learn about the world. Children can expect to have fun while they
make slime, erupt volcanoes, make ice cream, make tie dye t-shirts and more. Call (561) 4443978 or visit www.thelabforkids.com for info.
The Learning Foundation of Florida’s (TLFF) Academic Summer School/Camp 2013 has
several options available to assist the diverse needs of community students. The program
begins June 18 runs through Aug. 8 and allows for attendance flexibility in scheduling. TLFF’s
K-8 summer program focuses on individualized academic remediation using weekly themes

The Town-Crier

and a variety of t eaching strategies. Middle school students can take FLVS courses for
promotion to the next grade level. There are two sessions available: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
and/or 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. TLFF’s high school summer program allows students to
accelerate and/or redo classes for higher grades. The session is open on Tuesdays through
Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information, call Debra Thornby at (561)
795-6866.
The Little Place Pre-School has served the western communities for over 35 years. They are
now taking summer camp registration at their two convenient Wellington locations. The
Little Place offers a pre-school program for children 2 to 5 years old, and a program for
children ages 6 to 8. Various classes are offered as well as arts and & crafts and much more.
The Little Place will make y our child’s summer fun! Contact them at 1040 Wellington Trace
(561-793-5860) or 2995 Greenbriar Blvd. (561-790-0808).
At Noah’s Ark Summer Camp, children will enjoy field trips and activities such as swimming,
bowling, skating, South Florida Science Museum, movies and picnics. Tuition includes camera surveillance, creative curriculum, computers and all meals. Registration is now being
accepted. Registration is free for new customers only. Noah’s Ark is located at 14563 Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxahatchee Groves. For more information, call (561) 753-6624 or visit www.
smallworldpbc.com.
The Scientastic Institute is taking hands-on science to a whole new level. Developed exclusively for students entering grades 6 through 8, its Scientist-In-Training summer camp takes
advantage of the power of curiosity to turn everyday students into extraordinary scientists.
Through a wide variety of activities — such as hands-on projects, edible experiments, creature
features, DIY labs, scientist spotlights, dynamic demonstrations and much more — each
week addresses an amazing new theme that relates to essential academic content. Students
can have fun all summer and get a head start for the fall. The Scientastic Institute offers
competitive rates, extended hours, organic lunch options and one amazing summer experience in the heart of Wellington. Visit www.scientasticinstitute.com or call (561) 459-1724
for more information.
Are you looking for a convenient and fun place to send your kids this summer? Look no
further than Camp Eagle at Wellington Christian School. They offer an exciting 9-week
program for children ages 3-12, which includes VPK, local field trips for older campers, oncampus sports and group building activities, daily devotions, silly songs, crazy competitions
and much more. You can choose one of the themed weeks or come all summer long. For more
information, call (561) 793-1017.
Tiny Tikes Preschool Camp is geared t oward the elementar y-age camper. Daily activities are
sure to keep the campers happy, busy and engaged. Trips include bowling, skating and weekly
movies, as well as special trips to the zoo, the science museum and more. Tiny Tikes has
three conveniently located centers, which are open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Activities occur
throughout the day, both at the center and out on the bus. Meals are included. Call (561) 7901780 now to reserve your space or visit Tin y Tikes Academy at 16245 Okeechobee Blvd. in
Loxahatchee.
Wellington Children’s Theater Camp invites campers to join them for Summer Musical
Theater Camp. Classes are offered in acting, voice, specialized dance, script writing, audition
techniques, music theory, and much more. Campers will creat e their own props and backdrops. A revolving schedule has visiting guest artists leading special workshops daily. Campers will rehearse and perform a fully staged Broadway musical production at the conclusion
of camp. The program is open to ages 7 to 16. Rehearsals and classes meet at #1 Education
Place in the original Wellington Mall at Forest Hill Blvd. and W ellington Trace in the heart of
Wellington. For info., call (561) 223-1928, e-mail karen@wellingtonchildrenstheatre.com or
visit www.wellingtonchildrenstheatre.com.

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DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Upcoming Family-Friendly Events At Palm Beach County Venues
The Cultural Council of Palm
Beach County invites the community to enjoy a fun variety of familyfriendly activities, venues and locales taking place all over the county and discover why Palm Beach
County is “Florida’s cultural capital.”
With a colorful and diverse array
of arts and cultural activities, offerings and fun, there’s sure to be something for families of varying age,
taste and budget. Check out happening events on tap, visit web sites
and even purchase tickets at www.
artscalendar.com/thepalmbeaches.
It’s all about “outdoor Florida” on
the south end of Palm Beach County at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.
Nestled along AIA in Boca Raton,
this venue offers visitors an expansive outdoor nature center with its
sea turtle garden, container garden
of herbs and local flora, gopher tortoise exhibit and a butterfly nursery.
Nature Craft for Father’s Day is
scheduled for Saturday, June 15
from 11 a.m. to noon for ages 7 to 12.
RSVP to (561) 544-8615.
Enjoy live theater by taking the
family for a “peek under the sea”
through the eyes of the Sol Children Theatre Troupe’s musical play
adaptation of Disney’s Broadway
production The Little Mermaid Jr.
July 4-5 at the Olympic Heights High
School Performing Arts Theater in
Boca Raton. Call (561) 447-8829 for
more information.
Just north of Boca Raton in the
heart of downtown Delray Beach,
visitors will find the charming and
whimsical PuppetryArts Center of
the Palm Beaches. Robin Hood, by
master puppeteer Jerry Bickel with
the Bits ’N’ Pieces Marionettes, continues Friday and Saturday, May 17
and 18. Show times are 10:30 a.m.
Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Call (561)
243-4330 or visit www.puppetcenter.
org for more information.
A short walk from the Puppetry
Arts Center finds Arts Garage, home
of jazz, blues, big band, live theater,
comedy and more. Dance in your
seats to the popular family musical

Footloose May 16-19. Table reservations are available; show times
vary. For more information, call (561)
450-6357 or e-mail info@artsgarage.
org.
On the western end of Delray
Beach, visitors can experience the
magical and serene setting of the
Morikami Museum & Japanese
Gardens. This year, its annual Sushi
and Stroll event offers several dates
and themes to enjoy. The Morikami
will host the evening event “Sip &
Stroll: An All-About-Sake” on Friday, June 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Enjoy a unique selection of sake and
menu items from the Cornell Café and
learn all about the appeal of this ageold Japanese spirit. For more information, visit www.morikami.org.
Nature enthusiasts can also enjoy a visit to the Sandoway House
Nature Center, found along AIA in
northern Delray Beach. Sandoway
is home to the largest private collection of shells in southeast Florida
with 10,000 museum-quality shells
on display. Shark feeding anyone?
Plan to arrive at 1:30 p.m. sharp Tuesday through Sunday to participate
in this thrilling local favorite. If getting your toes in the sand is more
your thing, sign up for its May 25
beach walk, taking place from 11 a.m.
to noon. For more information, visit
www.sandowayhouse.org.
For those who like to shop until
they drop, explore artsy and trendy
Lake Avenue in downtown Lake
Worth. At the corner of Lake Avenue and L Street, visitors will not
want to miss stopping in at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County to find over 1,200 artist-created
items for sale in its Uniquely Palm
Beach Store. While there, check out
its exhibitions by Palm Beach County artists: “Artist as Author” through
May 18 and “County Contemporary:
All Media Juried Show” June 14
through Sept. 7. At the Cultural
Council’s Cultural Information Center, take advantage of utilizing its
interactive, touch-screen Explore
Board to peruse arts and cultural
venues. Guests can also pick up bro-

Classmates discover their inner artists during an
educational program at the Norton Museum of Art.

At the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, you can explore the artist’s
studio, gardens and historic
home.

Kids and adults alike will gasp in awe at Archelon, a 17-foot-wide sea
turtle on display as part of the South Florida Science Center and
Aquarium’s newest traveling exhibit “Savage Ancient Seas: The Ancient Aquatic Deep,” opening to the public Friday, May 17.

chures, event calendars, maps, a
copy of art&culture magazine, and
fill your day book or extended stay
itinerary with destination stops sure
to fulfill your quest for exciting arts
and cultural happenings fun for the
entire family. For more information,
visit www.palmbeachculture.com.
Heading north to the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in
downtown West Palm Beach, Palm
Beach County’s world-class community youth choir, the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, will present
“Ubuntu,” a special 10th anniversary performance at the annual spring
concert Sunday, May 19 at 7 p.m.
This award-winning community
chorus features 350 of the area’s top,
talented youth voices. For more information, call (561) 832-SHOW or
visit www.kravis.org.
A constant nearby draw for visitors of all ages is the Palm Beach
Zoo, with exciting and educational
encounters available to help you get
to know some of the county’s resident animals. Daily Keeper Talks and
informative feeding and enrichment
events give visitors an up close and
personal look into topics such as
what makes tigers so “chuffed” (happy), how alligators and pelicans eat,
and what monkeys like to do when
they “monkey around.” The zoo is
open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For
more information, visit www.palm
beachzoo.org.
Hop across the street to see
what’s happening at the newly expanded South Florida Science Center & Aquarium, formerly known as
the South Florida Science Museum.
Celebrate with fun, interactive science at its Community Opening Day
on Friday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. Admission is free. Experience
the first blockbuster exhibit to fill the
newly opened exhibit hall, “Savage
Ancient Seas: Dinosaurs of the

Deep.” For more information, visit
www.sfsm.org.
Have a budding artist in the family? On the first Saturday of each
month, the Armory Art Center in
West Palm Beach offers “Art on the
Go!” for children in kindergarten to
fifth grade. These art workshops are
designed just for kids. Dates vary;
RSVP at www.armoryart.org.
It’s well-known that the acclaimed
Norton Museum of Art in downtown West Palm Beach has permanent collections and exhibitions of
masterpiece works of art year-round,
but did you know it also offers family-friendly, hands-on activities for
kids of all ages? On Thursday, June
20, the museum invites guests to
“Be a Lego Architect.” Begin in the
classroom and learn about types of
buildings. Next, participants draw
designs and take plans to the Lego
building activity area to construct it
in 3-D on a special city map. Are you
a Florida resident planning a staycation? The Norton offers free admission for Florida residents in June,
July and August and free admission
to Palm Beach County residents
every Saturday from June 1 through
Aug. 3. For more information, visit
www.norton.org.
Nearby, along the Intracoastal
Waterway, is the serene and tranquil Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens.
Gain rare insight into the life’s work
of American sculptor Ann Weaver
Norton by exploring her studio, gardens and historic home. The vast,
meticulously landscaped property is
adorned with Norton’s monumental
sculptures. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The sculpture gardens are closed in
August. For more information, visit
www.ansg.org.
A natural, outdoor setting that
invites guests to set their own pace
and explore nearly three acres of

striking sculpture and native landscape is the Society of the Four Arts
in Palm Beach. The gardens are open
seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m., and there is no charge for admission. To learn more, visit www.
fourarts.org/gardens.
North Palm Beach is home to the
beautiful, tucked away John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. Learn
about the park’s ecosystems and
history with an array of events. Enjoy a butterfly walk Saturday, May
25 from 11 a.m. to noon, and daily
nature walks at 10 a.m. (10 a.m. and 2
p.m. on Saturdays), which are free
with park admission. Guided twohour kayak tours occur daily at high
tide. Turtle walks are held May 28
through July 19 with RSVP required.
Turtle walk hours are 8 to 11 p.m. or
later, depending on the turtles. For
additional information, call (561) 6246952.
North on U.S. 1 is Juno Beach’s
Loggerhead MarineLife Center,
filled with nature-based exhibitions
to explore and a state-of-the-art turtle rehabilitation center. Each
Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., children
under 5 can bring their own
“hatchlings” to share and enjoy
ocean-inspired stories, crafts and
more with Hatchling Tales story time.
Enjoy books, music and group activities for free. Celebrate World
Oceans Day at Loggerhead on June
8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to honor the
body of water that links us all and to
learn ways we can all generate awareness about conserving and protecting our world’s oceans. Admission
is free. Visit www.marinelife.org for
more information.
Admission to the Cultural Council is free and open to the public
Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10
a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit www.
palmbeachculture.com.

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SPORTS & RECREATION

Sem Ridge Flag Football Team Repeats As State Champs
By Lauren Miró
Town-Crier Staff Report
For the second consecutive year, the Seminole Ridge High School girls varsity flag football team has captured the state championship title.
Coming off an undefeated season, the Lady

Hawks defeated Mandarin High School 27-6
in Kissimmee on Saturday, May 4 to take home
the championship trophy.
“We are incredibly excited,” head coach
Austin Bowe told the Town-Crier. “The girls
worked really hard for this, and it’s nice to see
them get the reward at the end of it all.”

The Lady Hawks went 19-0 this season,
which includes 15 shutout games and 17
games that ended with the mercy rule. Seminole Ridge easily took down top teams like Dr.
Phillips (Orlando) High School and Tarpon
Springs High School.
The Lady Hawks allowed only three touch-

The Seminole Ridge High School flag football team, shown here celebrating after they won the state title for the second year in a road.

downs and a total of 20 points to be scored
against them all season, finishing 637-20
against all their opponents combined this year.
Bowe attributed this to teamwork.
“They really bought into it and played well
together,” Bowe said of his team. “It wasn’t
just about one player catching a touchdown
pass; it was also about the other girls acting
as decoys to trick the defenders. They really
understood how important every player was,
and there was as much congratulation for
someone fooling a defender as for scoring a
touchdown. We have a lot of talented players.”
This marks the third state championship
title for the Lady Hawks in four seasons —
the team also won the title in 2010.
“Our team really came together in 2010,”
Bowe said. “This year, the girls were really
serious about winning. They wanted to be
the best team out there, and they succeeded.”
He noted that the school recruits many players through the Acreage Flag Football League,
which starts girls playing from a young age.
“The league definitely helps,” he said. “Having the advantage of girls who have played
before is a big help. Our team has been playing together for three years, and some of the
girls played together before that.”
This creates a team with synergy, Bowe said.
“They really help each other out,” he said.
“The defense works hard to give the offense
a good field position, and the offense tries
not to give the defense extra work by not turning over the ball. They [the offense] make sure
the other team has to march all the way down
the field every time.”
Bowe expressed pride in his team. “What
they accomplished was truly amazing,” he said.

Students Score Scholarships Through IPC’s Kids Fun Zone
As world-class polo players and
fans celebrated the close of another
exciting season at the International
Polo Club Palm Beach, enterprising
business students from Palm Beach
Atlantic University may have come
out the biggest winners of all — at
least from their perspective.
For successfully running the
club’s popular Kids Fun Zone during the 16-week polo season, the
students — both attending PBAU’s
Rinker School of Business — were
awarded scholarships by the International Polo Club to travel to Brazil
for a 10-day educational business
trip this month.
“This program is a win-win. It is
so nice to know that the money
we spend on the Kids Fun Zone is
helping to educate and train future
business leaders. This is one of
the great things about my job. I
get to make decisions daily that
help other people,” said John
Wash, president of the International Polo Club.
Lewis Thompson, a graduating
senior, and Angie Moreau, a junior,
netted over $10,850 running the Kids
Fun Zone, a service designed to
entertain the children of parents who

want to spend a relaxing Sunday
afternoon watching professional
polo. The money will be applied to
the IPC scholarships funding the
business trip.
“Managing the Kids Fun Zone
every Sunday for four months was
like running a small business for
them, and they did a fantastic job in
raising money and awareness about
the service,” said Dr. Ann Langlois,
an associate professor at the Rinker
School of Business, who oversees
the scholarship program with the
International Polo Club.
Langlois explained that each week
the students were given a $1,000
budget to entertain the children.
They had to contact and book vendors, negotiate contracts, schedule
dates, keep the books and troubleshoot problems on the fly — all while
staying under budget. The students
booked vendors as diverse as a face
painting service to pony rides to a
science presentation.
Thompson and Moreau also created a marketing program, with flyers distributed to parents every
week, in the hope of generating
greater awareness about the Kids
Fun Zone. The service cost parents

only $10 — but it was all profit to
the students.
Any profits generated or money
saved under budget, the students
could keep and apply toward their
scholarships. This season, the students created enough profit and
savings to cover the full cost of the
trip to Brazil, Langlois said.
This is the second year the International Polo Club has offered scholarships to Rinker business students.
Last year ’s participants used the
Kids Fun Zone experience to fund a
10-day trip to Dubai.
“The IPC scholarship program has
given our students a chance to run
a business, travel abroad and expand their knowledge of international business,” Langlois said. “It’s a
great opportunity. The students
learn leadership skills that will prove
invaluable after college.”
Along with the entertainment, the
Kids Fun Zone also featured a
bounce house for children age 7 and
under, a giant inflatable slide, a huge
rock climbing wall, an inflatable obstacle course, spin art and sand art,
and a bungee trampoline, as well as
food and drinks.
With the successful 10th anniver-

sary season now in the record
books, the International Polo Club
will shift to the off-season and hosting several global sporting events,
including USPA Youth Polo events,
as well as summer polo camps, large
charity events and fundraisers.

The International Polo Club Palm
Beach is located at 3667 120th Avenue South, between Pierson Road
and Lake Worth Road in Wellington. For more information, call (561)
204-5687 or visit www.international
poloclub.com.

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SPORTS & RECREATION

Cats Gymnasts Perform Well At Invitational In Jupiter
The Cats of Wellington competitive gymnastics team recently competed in the 2013 Cats of Jupiter
Beach Blast Invite, held April 6-7 in
Jupiter.
In Level 2, Keelin Coleman earned
first all-around with a 38.4, including first on bars (9.8), first on vault
(9.8), first on floor (9.5) and a 9.5 on
beam. Sophia Roberts was awarded
a first on beam (9.45) and first on
floor (9.5), and scores of 9.6 on vault
and 9.1 on bars. Enacoret Parziale
scored a 9.5 on vault and 9.25 on
beam. Guilbrhea Pacheco received
a 9.15 on vault, 9 on bars, 9.1 on
beam and 9.05 on floor. Julianna
Stebbins was awarded a first on
vault (9.65) and 9.15 on bars. Natalie
Bornel earned a 9.2 on vault, 9 on
bars and 9.2 on floor. Kyleigh Gardner received a first on floor (9.25)
and a 9 on vault. Allison Franck
scored a 9.1 on vault and 9 on bars.
Juliana Lettera earned an 8.95 on
vault. Ava Delafe was awarded a 9.05
on vault. Agostina Fontana received an 8.65 on floor. The Level 2
girls finished second all-around in
the team standings.
In Level 3, Zoe Kyrkostas was
awarded first on bars (9.525), first
on beam (9.525), first on floor (9.6)
and 8.8 on vault, finishing first allaround in her age group with a 37.45.

Kayla Levins earned a first on floor
(9.325) and scores of 9.1 on vault,
9.3 on bars and 9.225 on beam, finishing first all-around in her age division. Ruth Anne Lively received
first on bars (9.375) and first on beam
(9.3), and a 9.275 on floor. Angelina
Apicella scored a 9.225 on vault,
9.125 on bars, 9.25 on beam and 9.175
on floor. Arianna Nettles was awarded first on vault (9.425) and scores
of 9 on bars and 9.125 on floor. Sasha
Campbell earned a 9.3 on bars and a
9.15 on floor. Sophia LaCosta received a 9.1 on vault and a 9.05 on
bars. Sophia Rodriguez was awarded first on vault (9.35) and scores of
9.325 on bars and 9.05 on floor. Katie
Lettera received a 8.975 on floor.
Ashleigh Altfest scored a 9.2 on
floor. Karlie Navor received a 9.05
on vault. Nicole Campos was
awarded an 8.9 on vault. The Level
3 girls finished second all-around in
the team standings. Sasha Campbell
also competed in the Gasparilla Classic and was inadvertently not included in that article. She earned a
9.325 on bars and a 9.4 on floor.
In Level 4, Alexa Alvarez was first
all-around with a 36.45, including first
on bars (9.2) and first on floor (9.2),
and scores of 9.45 on vault and 8.6
on beam. Alexis Merritt earned first
on vault with a 9.2, and scores of

Cats Gymnastics students with trophies from the Jupiter Beach Blast.
9.15 on bars and 9.325 on floor. Faith
Campagnuolo received first place on
vault with a 9.525 and a 9.1 on floor.
Allison Bunchuk was awarded first
place on beam (9.05) and a 9 on bars.
Hannah Hutchins earned an 8.9 on
bars. The Level 4 girls finished second all-around in the team standings.

In Level 5, Arabella Campbell finished first all-around with a 35.575,
including first on bars (9.2), and
scores of 8.85 on vault, 8.725 on beam
and 8.8 on floor. Kinsey Cribbs was
awarded an 8.375 on floor and 8.35
on both bars and beam. Bianca Sileo received scores of 8.575 on vault
and 8.45 on bars. Brieanna McCaf-

frey earned scores of 8.625 on vault
and 8.7 on floor. Samantha Baez was
awarded an 8.75 on bars and an 8.725
on floor. The Level 5 girls finished
third all-around in the standings.
The girls are dedicated and work
hard, with training from coaches
Margarita Martinez, Felipe Restrepo and John Levy.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

May 17 - May 23, 2013

Page 37

SPORTS & RECREATION

Acreage Yankees Win Championship
The Acreage Major League Yankees recently ended the regular season in first place with a 9-2 record,
defeating the Red Sox 6-1 in the
championship game.
Right-handed pitcher Will Keifer
pitched four strong innings, and
right-handed pitcher Dylan Istock
came in and closed out the game with

the Red Sox threatening in the top
of the fourth inning. “The Red Sox
had a very strong team, but they just
came up short today. Our team
played hard and kept their composure to come up with the victory,”
Yankees Manager George Domaceti said. “The season may be over for
some of the players, but quite a few

have been chosen for the all-star
team, which will play for the district
championship in June.”
The first leg of the Babe Ruth
World Series is being hosted by the
Acreage Athletic Baseball League
this year from June 25-30, with the
finest players from each league being chosen to compete.

When four members of the Royal
Palm Beach High School tennis team
visited Glade View Elementary
School on May 8, they had one goal
in mind: “Share the Love.”
Earlier this year, the team received
a $1,000 Share the Love grant from
the United States Tennis Association for just such a mission. The
Wildcats used brand-new rackets,
balls and temporary nets to teach

the elementary students tennis fundamentals. The team left most of the
grant equipment at the school for
the students to use. “Building bridges to connect humanity at tender
ages will strengthen humanity for
generations to come,” Glade View
Principal Linda Edgecomb said.
For more about Wildcat athletics,
contact Eric Patterson at eric.
patterson@palmbeachschools.org.

Page 38 May 17 - May 23, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Saturday, May 18
• The third annual Women for Women 5k/
10k will take place Saturday, May 18 starting at 7 a.m. on Lake Worth Beach. Proceeds
benefit the Palms West Community Foundation and Girls on the Run. For more info.,
visit www.womenforwomenrun.com or call
(561) 790-6200.
• The fall kickoff of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s signature national fundraising program Team in Training is set for Saturday, May 18 beginning at 7 a.m. at the Community Foundation building (700 South Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach). This event
brings together groups of athletes and aspiring athletes to raise money for lifesaving
blood cancer research. For more info., contact Nicole Switzer at nicole.switzer@lls.org
or visit www.teamintraining.org/pb.
• Cub Scout Pack 125 and the St. Peter’s
United Methodist Men’s Group will host a
pancake breakfast Saturday, May 18 from 8
to 11 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church (12200 W.
Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington). The cost is $5
per person. For more info., visit www.pack
125.com or call (561) 907-8125.
• The Mounts Botanical Garden (531 N.
Military Trail, West Palm Beach) will host
“Summer Gardening Strategies” on Saturday, May 18 at 9 a.m. Learn how to help a
garden thrive during the hot, humid season.
The cost is $20 for members and $25 for
nonmembers. To register or for more info.,
call (561) 233-1757.
• IberiaBank (119 South State Road 7,
Royal Palm Beach) will host a Community
Shred Party on Saturday, May 18 from 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. in partnership with Families
First of Palm Beach County and the Royal
Palm Beach Rotary Club. In addition to shred
services, there will be plenty of activities for
the family. For more info., call Des Romm at
(561) 204-2400 or Selena Smith at (561)
253-1451 or visit www.iberiabank.com or
www.familiesfirstpbc.org.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern
Drive) will host “Get Your Game On...” Saturday, May 18 at 10:30 a.m. Bring the family
for board games and puzzles. Call (561)
790-6070 for more info.
• A fundraising lunch will be held Saturday,
May 18 at 11 a.m. at Kidscape Park (74th
Street North and Seminole Pratt Whitney
Road in The Acreage) to help pay medical
and travel expenses for Sharon Vomero, a
Loxahatchee resident diagnosed with stagethree breast cancer. Barbecue lunches will

be sold and vendor fees will go directly to the
Vomero family. Donations are also requested for a raffle. E-mail shaunsantoro@aol.
com for more info.
• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.)
will host “Viva la Bells” for adults Saturday,
May 18 at 2 p.m. Savor the sights and history of the Sunshine State in stories and songs
performed by the Clarion Handbell Ensemble. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.
• The Acreage Community Park Jam will
take place Saturday, May 18 from 5 to 10
p.m. at Acreage Community Park (6701
140th Avenue North). A signup application
and contact information can be found at
www.acreagelandowners.org or contact Bob
Renna at bobrenna@bellsouth.net.
• Wellington will host “Murder in the Wild
West” mystery theater Saturday, May 18
from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Village Park (11700
Pierson Road). Call (561) 791-4005 or visit
www.wellingtonfl.gov for more info.
Monday, May 20
• Leading health care professionals will
discuss the importance of health care reform at the Central Palm Beach County
Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon
Monday, May 20 at 11:30 a.m. at Wycliffe
Golf & Country Club. Call Mary Lou Bedford
at (561) 578-4807 or e-mail marylou@cpb
chamber. com for more info.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern
Drive) will host Finance & Your Small Business for adults Monday, May 20 at 1 p.m.
The Small Business Development Center
and the Office of Small Business Assistance
will explore alternative ways to finance your
small business, avoiding costly tax mistakes
and planning for success. Call (561) 7906070 to pre-register.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern
Drive) will host Legos for ages 8 and up Monday, May 20 at 4 p.m. Builders create vehicles or buildings out of Lego pieces. Call (561)
790-6070 for more info.
• Wellington Christian School (1000 Wellington Trace) will host a blood drive for Piper
Apfel on Monday, May 20 from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Donors must be at least 17, have a
valid picture ID and weigh more than 110
pounds. For more info., visit www.pipers
keepers.com.
• State Rep. Mark Pafford and State Sen.
Joseph Abruzzo will be the featured speakers at the Mid-County Democratic Club
meeting Monday, May 20 at 7 p.m. at Tree’s
Wings and Ribs in the northeast corner of
See CALENDAR, page 39

The Town-Crier

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
CALENDAR, continued from page 38
Southern and Royal Palm Beach boulevards.
E-mail Steven Licari at stevemiddems@
gmail.com for more info.
Tuesday, May 21
• The Palm Beach County Commission
will meet Tuesday, May 21 at 9:30 a.m. in
the government center’s Jane M. Thompson
Memorial Chambers (301 N. Olive Ave., Sixth
Floor, West Palm Beach). For more info., visit www.pbcgov.com.
• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic
Center Way) will host “National Mental
Health Month: Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder” for adults Tuesday, May 21 at 2:30
p.m. Johanna Kandel, founder and CEO of
the Alliance for Eating Disorders, will share
her struggle with and recovery from an eating disorder and discuss treatment and prevention. Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.
• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic
Center Way) will host “Wii Gaming” for ages
7 to 12 on Tuesday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m.
Play video games and check out the new
book display. Call (561) 790-6030 to preregister.
• Whole Foods Market in Wellington
(2635 State Road 7) will host a free Grilled
to Perfection Block Party on Tuesday, May
21 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Taste your way around
the store and vote for your favorite sample.
Call (561) 904-4000 for more info.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern
Drive) will host Chess Club for adults Tuesday, May 21 at 6 p.m. Practice your strategy
skills with other players. Basic game knowledge is required. Call (561) 790-6070 to
pre-register.
• Kretzer Piano Music Foundation will
present a concert by the Youth Orchestra of
Palm Beach County on Tuesday, May 21 at
7 p.m. at the Harriet Himmel Theater at CityPlace (700 S. Rosemary Ave., West Palm
Beach). Proceeds will benefit the Youth Orchestra’s Musician Scholarship Fund. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children
under 18. Tickets may be purchased at the
door or by calling (866) 449-2489.
Wednesday, May 22
• The Quarterly Public Meeting on the
Long-Term Plan for Achieving Water Quality Goals for Everglades Protection Area Tributary Basins will be held Wednesday, May
22 at 9 a.m. in the Storch Room, Building B1 at the South Florida Water Management
District headquarters in West Palm Beach.
For more info., e-mail Lawrence R. Gerry at

lgerry@sfwmd.gov or call (561) 682-2642.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern
Drive) will host “Gyotaku: Japanese Fish
Printing” for ages 7 to 13 on Wednesday,
May 22 at 1 p.m. Learn about this traditional
Japanese art form and take home your own
keepsake fish print. Dress to get messy. Call
(561) 790-6070 to pre-register.
• Whole Foods Market in Wellington
(2635 State Road 7) will feature a free
Health Starts Here Pillar Power Class on
Wednesday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. Learn how
to ditch processed foods and enhance some
of your favorite foods. Call (561) 904-4000
to pre-register.
Thursday, May 23
• The Palm Beach County Commission
will hold a zoning meeting Thursday, May 23
at 9:30 a.m. in the government center’s Jane
M. Thompson Memorial Chambers (301 N.
Olive Ave., Sixth Floor, West Palm Beach).
For more info., visit www.pbcgov.com.
• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic
Center Way) will host “New Stories Time”
for ages 3 to 6 on Thursday, May 23 at 3:30
p.m. Check out some new books that will be
highlighted in this story time along with songs
and a simple craft. Call (561) 790-6030 to
pre-register.
• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.)
will host “Drawing Basics” for ages 12 to
adult Thursday, May 23 at 6 p.m. Render a
two-dimensional still life using basic drawing techniques. Call (561) 681-4100 to preregister.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern
Drive) will host “Pajama Tales” for ages 2 to
6 on Thursday, May 23 at 6 p.m. Wear your
jammies, bring your teddy bear and wind
down for the evening with bedtime stories.
Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.
• Whole Foods Market in Wellington
(2635 State Road 7) will feature a Whole
Deal Cooking Class on Thursday, May 23 at
6:30 p.m. Learn how to make an easy backyard dinner that’s sure to please everyone.
The cost is $5 per person. Call (561) 9044000 to pre-register.
• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.)
will host “Cosplay Workshop” for ages 12 to
17 on Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. Practice basic sewing skills and learn costuming
tips and tricks. Call (561) 681-4100 to preregister.
Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier,
12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. Email: news@gotowncrier.com.

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